Baby
by GryffindorCriss
Summary: Ron and Hermione want a baby, but will they be successful? Read and Review! No Copyright intended, blah blah blah.
1. Chapter 1

Baby

The Idea came to me one day, when I found out Ginny Potter, my sister in law, was pregnant. She'd been married to Harry since 1999, just after she graduated from Hogwarts. She was twenty Three and Harry, Ron and I were twenty four. I'd married Ron when I was twenty, and we were living together in the flat that we had bought the year before, when he proposed to me.

I was cleaning the dishes, Ron was sitting at the table in the kitchen, reading The Daily Prophet, drinking some tea, occasionally looking up and commenting on an article about Harry and his Quidditch games that he played for charity, or some of the Death Eaters that he and Harry had caught. Suddenly, there was a loud _POP! _That made us both jump from the Living Room. I dropped a dish and it shattered on the floor. Oh well, I could always use _Reparo _on it later.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron shouted, knocking his, fortunately, empty tea cup over. Scowling at him, I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, and then, I saw a huge mane of Red hair in front of me. I realised Ginny was hugging me. Just over her shoulder, I could see Harry behind her, glasses slightly askew, but beaming like a Cheshire cat.

"What's going on mate?" Ron asked Ginny and Harry. Ginny let go of me, and smiled at us, holding onto Harry's hand.

"We're having a baby!" Ginny exclaimed.

"That's brilliant Ginny!" I said.

"Well done mate," Ron said to Harry, patting his back. Harry's smile became very big, and I could of sworn he looked like he was going to break into tap dance. I hugged Ginny again, and she told me that she wanted me to be the baby's godmother. I agreed, thanking her over and over again.

"Umm, Ron," Harry said, "I was, you know, wondering if you would, umm, like, to, umm….."

"Just get on with it Harry!" Ginny said, shaking her head. She then turned to me and muttered, "Boys! I know that they're not really ones for emotion filled moments, but it's not like they're asking each other to marry them!"

"Ron, would you like to be the Godfather?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, alright, sure." Ron said. I could tell though, by the way he was smiling, he wanted to scream and shout and throw a party with me. Luckily, he managed to keep his emotions to himself until Harry and Ginny left.

"So, when are you going to tell Molly and the others?" I asked Ginny. She went pink.

"Oh, umm, We don't really know Hermione."

"But, you're going to tell her, right?"

"Yeah, of course, maybe, tomorrow at Sunday Dinner?" Harry said. He looked at his watch and looked back at us, "We have to go, we promised Andromeda that we'd pick up Teddy in five minutes. We'll see you tomorrow at the dinner, OK?" Ron and I nodded and said goodbye to them, as they apparated out of the flat.

"Well, that was a nice visit." I said. Ron nodded.

"Godparents! We're Godparents!" Ron said suddenly, picking me up and twirling me around the room. I giggled like a little girl and kissed him on the lips passionately. He responded with such enthusiasm, We fell onto the sofa and I landed on top of him. I placed my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. After a while, we broke off and I blushed a little. Ron's face was beyond blushing a little; his cheeks were a dark beetroot colour, and his ears are too. I went back into the kitchen to continue doing the washing up and I repaired the dish I broke earlier and put everything away. By the time I was done, It was about 5pm. I looked around the cupboards for something to eat. Nothing. I sighed and, some how, I managed to find a large box with two large Pepperoni pizza's in it. I put it in the oven, and I went to look for Ron.

Even though I'd known Ron since I was eleven, I just couldn't adapt to the fact that he was real. I mean, Ron was cute when he was that age. But since I'd married him, I just couldn't accept that I was married to him, and not Cormack, the pig. Ron, well, he sorta had manners, he was polite to me, and he treated me better then he treated anyone else. I couldn't believe we were married, and he was _mine_. Not Lavender's, mine. I couldn't believe he loved me back, and when he proposed to me, I couldn't believe it, he loved me, and I loved him.

I found Ron in our bedroom. He was lying on his back on our bed, looking peaceful as he napped. I smiled to myself, and crept to his side. I leaned over him, and, knowing what he likes when he wakes up, I cupped his face in my hands, and kissed him. His eyes fluttered open softly, and when he saw me leaning over him, he pulled me on top of him again. This was how it always was. In love. I could feel his hands place themselves under my blouse and onto my bare back. I shivered at his touch. I spread my arms across his chest and slid them under his shirt. He moaned a little and flipped me other so that he was on top of me. His hands moved from my back to my front, and he nuzzled into my neck. I gasped as I remembered the food was in the oven, and would probably burn if I didn't do anything about it.

"Ron, I have to check on the dinner," I whispered, and he removed his hands while I removed mine. I got up, and as I turned around, Ron was on the bed, breathless. I sighed. I quickly went to the kitchen and checked the pizza's. They looked perfect, so I left them to cool down a bit.

When I got back upstairs, Ron was lying on the bed still, staring at the ceiling. I climbed on him.

"Hey!" He said jokingly, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. I looked at him seriously.

"Ron, I've been thinking, have you ever wanted kids?" I asked him. Ron stared at me.

"You're pregnant too?" He shouted. I laughed a little.

"No, but, do you?" He looked at me thoughtfully.

"Well, yeah, I suppose. Why are you asking me this now?"

"Well, Ron, I was thinking, that maybe we could, you know, try for a baby," Ron's cheeks and ears went beetroot red again, but he smiled.

"That's brilliant!" His mouth suddenly enveloped mine in another kiss. I pushed him away playfully, laughing.

"Not right now Ron, the pizza's are ready!" He pretended to pout.

"Why don't we just try on the dinner table?" He suggested.

"Ron, no!" I told him, still laughing, "How about, after dinner, you give me some time to get ready, and then we can try." As I walked out of our bedroom, I was sure I could tell what Ron was imagining by "Getting Ready". And I supposed he was very right too.

I kissed him as hard as I could. Like earlier, his hands went up my back, giving me shivers. I rubbed my hands all over his bare chest. I could feel him moving down to my neck, and I could feel him kiss it. My hands got tangled in his bright red, yet fiery hair.

Need I say more?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I missed my period that month, I was overjoyed. Of course, I'd never been a day late in my life, so I believed I was pregnant. But just for good measure, I took a muggle pregnancy test, which was positive. But, Ron didn't know of course. And I wasn't really that pleased on telling him to be honest.

"Umm, Ron," I said when we were in bed one night, "You know we were trying, and stuff?" He nodded. "Well, ummm, I'm pregnant." His eyes widened.

"R-R-Really?" I nodded. His face broke out in a smile. "So I'm going to be a daddy?" I nodded, really pleased that he wasn't upset. He pulled me into kiss him, and he stroked my messy hair and then my cheek. Then, he pulled away.

"So, you're happy?" I asked.

"Extremely." He said. I pulled myself up to kiss him, and as we kissed, he placed his hand on my still flat belly. I could hear him whisper when he pulled away; "I love you baby Weasley." I felt like crying as he spoke to our unborn baby. So, he really did want this. I kissed him as hard as I could and stroked his back. God, how I loved him.

At Sunday dinner a week later, we still hadn't told Molly and the rest of the Weasley's. Harry and Ginny had already announced their news, and let's just say, it was a very memorable event. Ginny's brothers looked like they was going to punch Harry, Molly and Arthur gasped with excitement, and were so excited, Molly got up to hug them so quickly, she tripped over one of the chairs, Fleur squealed with excitement, Angelina squealed too, Teddy and Victoire went "Yey!" and every one else gasped. Ron and I clapped, and everyone else soon joined us.

We had no idea what we were going to say. I mean, it looked like we were seeking attention, so I'd decided to get pregnant, but it really was something Ron and I had wanted for a while now, and we were ready to have kids. I knew Molly and Arthur would be so happy, and so would Harry and Ginny, but I had no idea what the others would think.

We flooed to the Burrow at about ten o'clock on Sunday morning. Molly was just putting the spuds on, so I decided to help her. She looked at me oddly.

"Hermione dear, you're glowing," Molly said to me. I blushed a little.

"Oh, umm, I'm using a bronzer, a new one that I found in Wizacres Wizarding supplies…" I tried to lie,

"Hermione, I've had seven children, I think I know why you're glowing, I know that you're pregnant," Molly told me, before her face turned into a happy smile, "Congratulations Hermione, I'm going to be a Grandmother again!" Molly hugged me, almost squeezing my guts out. I weakly lifted my arms to hug her back. When she finally let go, Harry, Ginny, and Teddy had arrived, and Fleur, along with Bill and Victoire, were on their way.

Walking out of the kitchen in the Burrow, I went and said hello to Harry and Ginny. Teddy, who was now about six, stood in the middle of the Living Room, smiling happily, while his hair changed from red, to blue, to dark brown, to green, to black and messy….

Harry and Ginny walked over and gave me a hug. Teddy came over to me and hugged me as well, as his hair changed from a deep purple colour to blonde. Ron walked in and hugged them as well.

Dinner was ready by two PM, so as soon as everyone had sat down, I held onto Ron's hand, and whispered in his ear; "Let's tell them after dinner." He nodded in agreement.

When dinner was over, Ron and I stood up. Molly beamed at us supportably, and managed to get everybody to shut up.

"Umm, well, I…..I mean, we are having a baby," I said.

"Congratulations Hermione!" Ginny said, giving me a hug, very much like Molly's. Harry said Congratulations too.

The rest of the family each stood up and hugged us, giving us Best Wishes and Congratulations. Molly and Arthur looked as if we'd given them one hundred galleons, as they hugged me and Ron.

"Two grandchildren, at the same time! Oh my word!" Molly squealed. Arthur shook Ron's hand and gave me a fatherly hug. Fleur walked up to us, with Victoire following. Fleur gave me a sisterly hug, and Victoire gave me a hug around the waist, and a quick "Congratulations!", before they went and gave Ron a kiss on the cheek. He blushed a little as Fleur kissed him, and I could feel myself become jealous.

* * *

"How about we go for a walk around the park?" Ron asked. I nodded, and grabbed my jacket, it looked a little chilly and the sun was just setting outside. I grabbed Ron's hand, and we walked down the street.

It was Early August , Ginny was about six months pregnant by now and I was five months by now. I was showing a lot. I was having a boy, like Ginny. The sun shone brightly through the trees, casting rays along the pavement. There were another few couples strolling too, some old, some extremely young, but all in love. The park was down the street, so we got there in five minutes. It was deserted.

Ron lead me over to a bench, and we sat there, in silence, looking over to the sunset. I lay my head on his shoulder, and snuggled into his warm jacket, my hand on my stomach

"Ron," he looked at me, "I love you." He smiled, and kissed my bushy hair, his hand on my belly too.

"I love you too Hermione," he said, hugging me closer into him, as the sun started moving behind the trees.

From a distance, I could see some young adults heading towards us. We couldn't get out, they were looking at us oddly. Ron clutched me closely. I clutched my large belly, and whispered to myself nothing was wrong, they were just walking past us, or asking us directions, or…

"Hiya Ginger!" One of them said, incredibly close to us. Ron ignored him. I knew he would get violent if any of them laid a hand on me or baby Weasley (I loved that name).

There were about four of them. I knew Ron would never be able to get them all off me. I shivered and stayed huddled in Ron's jacket.

"Answer us Ginger!" a second one said, grabbing him and slapping him across the cheek.

"Go away." Ron said. I knew he was trying to keep himself under control. I got up, and walked over to Ron.

"Can we go now?" I asked quietly. He nodded, and began to lead me away from the group. But one of them grabbed me by the wrist, and pulled me back, so that we were face to face.

"Where do you think that you're going?" He asked.

"Leave my wife alone scum." Ron said. But then, the one who had threatened me just moments ago, punched Ron on the nose. There was a scarlet stream pouring out of his nose. I felt tears come in my eyes, and tried to fight back. I wasn't very good at fighting with my fists, and using a wand was just totally unacceptable at the minute.

"Ron, are you OK?" I asked. He didn't take any notice. He was too busy leaping on the guy, and strangling him.

I felt a hand cover my mouth. I tried to scream, but it came out muffled. He forced me onto the ground. I sobbed and sobbed as another one sneered down at me. The other two had managed to hold Ron still. He couldn't fight. He had bruises already forming on his face and the exposed skin. He looked at me, and he was crying too.

I felt a strong punch to my stomach. I could only think of Baby Weasley immediately. I hoped that he wasn't hurt too badly. There was a rain of punches on him, and suddenly, I felt something warm and sticky between my legs. Ron's face was completely wet. He was looking away. I felt the blood spread, and then, the gang released Ron, and left me on the floor. They ran off.

Ron was looking at me again. His face had streams of tears down his face. He crawled over the grass towards me. I didn't move. I couldn't see. My eyes were blurred. I couldn't breath. When Ron got towards me, His nose was still bleeding, and it mixed with his many tears. He was looking down at my legs. The blood had made a horrible large stain on my jeans. I couldn't believe it. Baby Weasley was dead.

"H-h-Hermione, I-I'm g-g-going to get h-help, O-Ok?" Ron asked, stuttering. He was still crying. I didn't reply. I was in shock. He stood up, shaking like a Chihuahua. He looked around the park. An old lady was near. She saw me on the floor, and Ron shaking, so she walked over quickly to us.

"Oh my Sweet Baby Christ!" She said when she saw me.

"You have to help us," Ron said, voice shaking, "We were just sitting here, watching the sun set, and then this gang came over and started punching us. She's lost the baby." Ron gulped. I could see his tears glisten in his eyes as he spoke.

"I'll call St Mungo's!" the lady exclaimed, pulling out a wand.

"That's- wait, St Mungo's, a wand? You're a witch!" Ron said. The witch nodded.

"And you're a wizard, and your wife's a witch too. I can see your wands on the grass." And sure enough, two wands lay on the ground, covered by mud and grass.

The lady silently cast a patronus, a silvery whiskered cat, and said loudly;

"_Need Help. Witch and Wizard attacked by muggles in park. Witch is covered in blood, has miscarried. Send help immediately." _And with that, she sent the patronus off.

"Now deary, can you sit up?" I shook my head. I hurt all over. I felt horrible. Ron looked at me worriedly. He was crying again. When I saw him cry, my heart wrenched. A fresh wave of tears broke over me. As sobs wracked my body, Ron pulled my head against his chest. I sobbed into his jacket, and couldn't stop. His tears rolled off his nose and cheeks. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face into him even deeper. I didn't notice as a small St Mungo's midwife apparated and hurried over to us. I ignored her attempts to prise my arms off Ron, and just clung on more.

"Looks like she won't get off." She turned to Ron, "Could you Please help me get your wife to St Mungo's? Would you help me carry her?" Ron nodded. He lifted me into his arms and carried me in his arms like a baby. The thought caused more tears.

We apparated to St Mungo's quickly, and I was taken to a room. When Ron tried to lower me down, I clung onto him.

"Please, Please stay with me Ron." I begged. He nodded, and slumped into a chair next to my bed. I lay down on the pillow, and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I woke up early in the morning. I'd had a nasty dream. I was pregnant, and Ron and I were at the park, when four muggle men attacked us, and they punched our baby Weasley until he died. But now, I was awake, at home, and I would roll over to see Ron sleeping next to me, and he'd be stroking my bump while he read about the Chudley Cannons, and it would all be a terrible dream.

I rolled over. Ron was slumped, asleep in a chair. He had a bandage on his nose, and bruises all over him. He looked peaceful, yet, upset. I was probably just sleeping around Harry and Ginny's, on their couch, just because I had cravings for some sort of food they had, and Ron had been in a punch up with some daft person at the pub. So, I felt under my nightgown to feel him, Baby Weasley. I felt a flat stomach. No. It couldn't be. I felt again. No kicking. No baby.

"Hermione?" I looked up to see Ron, only just woken up.

"Ron, why's my stomach flat?" I asked, panicked. He looked at me, his eyes glistening with tears.

"The baby-The baby's dead." Ron stood up, and stood by my bed.

"Oh, Ron!" I threw my arms around his neck. Tears fell down my cheeks again.

"Hermione, it'll be OK, we'll just try again." His voice was thick.

"I love you Ron," I whispered.

"And I love you, and I don't deserve you." He muttered underneath his breath.

"Oh Ron, don't say that!" I said, "I love you more then anyone in the whole wide world." And this was 100% true. I cried in his arms. I had never felt worse in my life.

* * *

Just two months later, I was standing in front of Ron, arms folded, smiling.

"You're pregnant again?" He asked. He was smiling. I nodded. "So I'm gonna be a daddy?" I laughed and nodded again. He picked me up and whirled me around the bedroom.

"I'm gonna be a daddy!" He shouted loudly. I giggled and kissed him again. He kept on shouting "I'm gonna be a daddy!", and, "I love you so much Hermione!". Now, we had to tell the Weasley's. Again.

It was mid October. Ginny had gone into labour early, just before my birthday, and we had all worried about her. But she and the baby were fine, and she and Harry had named him James Sirius Potter. Harry, who looked tired, but happy, waited on her hand and foot, doing normal everyday stuff, like opening doors to let her through, to not so normal stuff, like conjuring Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans, and going through every little bean, to find flavours like vomit, and Snot flavoured beans. Yuck. And he tasted every one of them, to make sure they were the right ones.

When the Weasley's had heard about the news, they were devastated.

_Flashback_

"_Oh my dear, Arthur, are you sure?" Molly asked, collapsing in a chair, looking horribly pale._

"_I'm afraid so Molly," Arthur said, as she burst into loads of tears. Ron and I stood there, silent. The Weasley's hadn't heard the news until we came back from the hospital._

_Ginny and Fleur collapsed into chairs too. Fleur looked as if she was going to throw up and instead, went horribly pale. Ginny started sobbing into Harry's arms. Harry himself had tears dripping down his cheeks. George and all of Ron's brothers, looked upset, and put their arms around Ron and I. Teddy and Victoire, who were a little too young to understand but understood this was a sad time, looked up sadly, and Victoire buried her head in Fleur's chest, Teddy clung onto Harry's hand. Everyone else, including my other sister's in laws, cuddled into Ron's brothers, and cried a little bit._

_End of flashback_

We knew this time, there was a silver lining for them, and us. Molly and Arthur would have another grandchild, and we would have a child.

We arrived at the Burrow a little later then we should of, because Ron and I got a little-er-caught up. So when we had arrived, everyone had just sat down. We went pink as everyone smirked at our ruffled clothes, sweaty skin and heavy breathing.

"Have a good morning?" Harry asked, smirking across the table at Ron.

"Er-Yeah, Hermione was just telling me about how cute she thought James looked when he was born," Ron lied convincingly.

"And Ron was telling me how beautiful I looked." I said.

"Quite right too. Why, Hermione, you're glowing again." Molly said, smiling. I blushed red. She wouldn't tell, I knew that.

After dinner, we once again told everybody that we were going to have a baby. Once again, everyone was rushing to congratulate us. This time George tripped over when Ron "accidentally" stuck his foot out. I scowled at him.

When the swarm of Weasley's had finally become weaker, we decided to go on an outing _with _Harry and Ginny, just in case. Plus, James could of used some fresh air too.

James was so cute. He looked like Harry. But his hair was Weasley red, and his eyes were Ginny's light chocolate brown, but the hair had Harry's messiness, and Harry's eye shape. His face also showed a lot of Harry, it just reminded you of Harry if you looked at it.

So, leaving Teddy with Fleur, Bill, and Molly, Harry, Ginny, Ron and I head out towards the park near the Burrow. James was in his little buggy. The park here was a lot more friendlier then the one Ron and I lived near. First, there was hundreds of mums with children, which immediately reassured me nothing would happen, although the sight of children upset me. Ron seemed to have the same train of thought and I could immediately feel him breath easily, but the his china blue eyes glistened with tears that would never be shed. Second, this was a wizard park. Muggles never saw it. So, lots of Wizarding families, who knew us for being on Chocolate Frogs, immediately looked at us. We were safe.

Some of the children down the park were horrible though, they could have been sorted in Slytherin when they went to Hogwarts. I saw one of the children kicking another one, a little boy who was hiding behind a slide. Ginny and I looked at each other with disgust.

"How could some people be so cruel?" She asked, while James, who she was now holding, burrowed deep into her chest.

"I really don't know" I muttered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was one of Dudley's children, or Draco's." Harry muttered. Ron snorted with disgust.

"So, Hermione, Ron, any idea on baby names?" Ginny asked. James stirred and blinked up at us.

"No idea," Ron said, smiling at James. I smiled too. Not because James was now sucking his thumb, but because Ron was obviously gonna make a good dad, just the way he smiled at James.

"Well, I'm gonna wait until I'm gonna drop, and then I might think." I said, tickling James underneath his chin. He giggled.

"So, you're having another baby Hermione," Ginny said. She smiled. I nodded, "The only downside to children though is that you may be woken up every night, and the labour can be painful."

"I don't mind, as long as Ron is there by my side." Ron smiled at me.

"Of course I will." Harry and Ron then launched into a discussion about which Quidditch team was better, the Chudley Cannons or the Holyhead Harpies.

"But, with all respect mate, you only support the Holyhead Harpies because Ginny plays for them." Ron pointed out.

"No I don't, I think that, uh, they're very good…."

"But they lost their last match, the seeker was too slow." Ginny said.

"That's because you weren't playing Ginny!" Harry said, before he turned pink, "Oops." We all burst out laughing.

"Come on, let's walk back, or Molly's going to worry about us." Harry said. We nodded and began to make our way back to the Burrow.

Teddy and Victoire were asleep on the sofa, and everyone else were outside in the garden, drinking wine and Butterbeer, chatting loudly, so loudly, that nobody heard us walk in and start our own little chat. Mrs Weasley only jumped when James yawned loudly.

"Oh my, Hello, we didn't hear you lot come in!" Molly exclaimed. Harry, Ginny, Ron and I laughed. Of course she didn't. She could tell when I was pregnant, or that I was glowing, but she didn't know that we had come in.

Later, when Ron and I had apparated home, I decided to go to sleep. It was only six PM, but I was exhausted. I yawned as Ron walked in, fresh from the shower, his hair dripping wet.

"Hermione, it's only six pm! You can't be tired already, can you?" He smirked.

"Shut up, I'm tired. You'd be if you were a month pregnant!" I mumbled.

"But Ginny wasn't tired!" Ron protested, sitting down on the bed, leaning over me.

"Yeah, well, I can see this baby has your genes, the baby's tired all the time!"

"Oi!" Ron said jokingly.

"Ron, you're dripping all over me, you're making my new blouse wet!" I complained. Ron laughed and flipped me on top of his chest. He kissed my lips before I could complain about my new blouse again, and rubbed circles on my back. I moaned with pleasure and wished he wasn't wearing a towel anymore.

Before too long, I knew that I needed a shower. I slowly prised Ron's hands off me, and stood up. So funny, Ron was dry now.

I walked into the bathroom and stripped, before walking into the shower and turning the warm water on. As I felt the warm water rush over my skin, I shivered. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt like this. Wait, yes I could, it was just this morning, before we went to the Burrow….

Turning off the hot water, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself. Ron was on the bed still, but he had changed into a T-shirt and a pair of Boxers. He looked up as I walked into the bedroom, and yawned.

"So now you're tired?" I asked, smirking.

"Shut up." I giggled. Ron stuck his tongue out at me, and pulled me on top of him, onto the bed (and his chest.). He flipped us over, so that I was beneath him, and started kissing my damp cheek. I pulled him onto me more, and I kissed him as hard as I could. His hands went up my back, and suddenly, I could feel him pull the towel that I was wearing off of me. I was about to complain, but then his hands worked their magic, such magic that a wand could never achieve. His boxers looked uncomfortable on him, so I wanted to pull them off. I decided to wait a little, while he nuzzled into my breasts. I moaned in pleasure. All I could remember was wanting Ron to undress and…

After, I found out that I was hungry. I rummaged around in the freezer, until I found my desired food: Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream with sprinkles on top. Licking my lips, I dug around for a spoon in the kitchen drawer, and dug in, smearing chocolate all over my face.

"Hermione?" I turned around quickly. Ron was standing there (dressed again), and he smirked when he saw my face. "What are you doing?"

"I was hungry." I said, licking my lips.

"Oh, yeah, girls get cravings, don't they?" Ron looked bewildered. I scowled at him. "What?"

"Ron, you're sister is pregnant, yet, you didn't know what the symptoms of pregnancy were?" It's unbelievable, typical boy.

"Well, I'm not the smartest tool in the tool box, am I?" Ron asked. For some reason, I felt like crying.

"I think that you're smarter then a lot of people." Ron's eyes went teary too.

"You know what, you're the first person to say that to me." I feel a tear drop down my cheek.

"I love you Ron." I said, dropping the Ice-Cream tub and hugging Ron.

"I love you too." His arms pulled me into his warm skin, and I couldn't help but breath deeply, inhaling his scent.

We stayed like this for a while, deepening the hug into a kiss, a deeply romantic one at that. I didn't want to let go, but then, I suddenly felt vomit bubble up in my throat. I pulled away, and, knowing that I wouldn't make it to the toilet in time, I turned around and threw up. Ron moved behind me and held my hair up. When I was done, I stood up and decided to lightly sip some water.

"Will you be OK?" Ron asked worriedly. I nodded weakly.

"I'm gonna go to bed now, OK?" Ron nodded and we both went to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Ron and I were at the Breakfast table, munching on some toast.

"So," Ron said. "So, I was thinking, this flat isn't very big, and I was thinking that, you know, we could buy a small house or something. You know, for the baby."

"Really?" I was shocked. Ron was thinking about a room for the baby already. My baby. Our baby.

"Yeah, but, I don't know where."

"Hmm," I said, thinking, "What about, near the Burrow?"

"Yeah! That's perfect!" Ron looked as if all his dreams had come true.

So, the next Saturday, Ron and I went out House shopping, in Ottery St. Catchpole. Luckily, there were quite a few houses here still left.

"Now here, we have a lovely cottage, complete with two small rooms, a kitchen, an attic, a sitting room and a little garden around the back." Our Estate Agent, Tracy, said. She was quite pretty; she had bright blue eyes and long, wavy blonde hair. I noticed that she kept on eying the wedding ring on Ron's finger, and she kept winking at him. I looked at her jealously. I was, after all, seven weeks pregnant by this stage. Just another three weeks, and then, Ron and I would get to know the sex.

Ron, luckily, had noticed this, and ignored it, holding my hand. I smiled. The house that Tracy was showing us was small, compared to Bill and Fleur's cottage. I looked at Ron. He seemed to be following my train of thought, and smirked.

"Uhh, why don't we take a look inside?" Ron asked politely. Tracy nodded and lead us inside.

The cottage was, in truth, actually quite beautiful. But it wasn't what we were looking for. It was too small to be raising a child here. The bathroom wasn't very big, the bedrooms looked like cupboards and it smelled odd.

"The next house is just down the road from the park. Now, I know it looks expensive, by it's size, but it's only one hundred and fifty Galleons, and Fourteen sickles. There are four bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, a heating cupboard, two bathrooms and a large garden." Tracy said. The house was perfect. I told Ron this, and he agreed.

Inside, it was like our dream had come true. The Bedrooms were perfect. There was a fireplace in one of them. The kitchen had an oven, freezer, fridge, and a kettle already there. In the Living Room, there was another fireplace.

"We'll buy it." I told Tracy. Tracy grinned as we handed her the money, and told us that we could move in the next day. I couldn't believe it. This perfect house was ours.

Ron and I apparated home and started packing. Tomorrow, we started a new chapter in our lives. And we couldn't of been happier.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The Next morning, Ron and I were rushing around the flat, picking up things to pack at the last minute. The muggle mover men had come with their truck an hour earlier, and had started moving the furniture. There had been a very funny incident when Ron had tried to help one of the men move the dresser in me and Ron's room by using a levitating spell. Unfortunately, Ron became distracted when I shot a scowl at him, and the man, who hadn't been lifting it as much as one would, ended up with the dresser in his foot. Even I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

By midday, we had set out for our new house. The muggle men, who didn't have a clue where Ottery St. Catchpole was, so we decided that they would swap with when we got halfway there with Harry and Ginny, who, (luckily) on such notice, offered to help. They said that Molly was looking after James, although I wasn't too sure if Molly would like that on short notice.

We met Harry and Ginny at a rest stop about 600 miles from Devon. We thanked the muggle mover men, payed them and started packing the bags into the boot of Harry and Ginny's car, as well as their back seat. We also packed a little in the boot and back of our car. The stuff that we couldn't fit we sent to my parents, who had promised to bring it with them later. As soon as we were all packed up, gone to the toilet (I needed that so badly!), we set out again.

"Hermione, do you ever stop reading?" Ron asked as I picked up a book. I shook my head absently and frowned.

"Ron, do you ever read?" I asked.

"Yeah, I read the Daily Prophet if there's an interesting story, I read the signs on the motorway…..and on diners and stuff….." I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Ron just made me laugh like that all the time.

Hours later, about six o' clock, we arrived at the house. Harry and Ginny, who'd never seen this house before, gasped when they saw it.

"How did you afford this Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"Actually, I paid for it Ginny." Ron said. I scowled at him again.

"We _both _paid for it, I think you'll find." I said. He went a little red and started unpacking some bags from the car. We had the key to the house already, and I went ahead and opened the door. Harry and Ginny looked around in awe. Of course, it wasn't as big as Potter Mansion, but it was bigger then Shell Cottage, and to me and Ron, it felt like home.

We left the door open and started bringing in our bags. However, after I almost end up flattened by our bed (which we had managed to send there) when Ron tried to move it out the way, Ron told me to unpack downstairs, saying that he didn't want me to end up killed. I scowled and told him that I was fine, but he wouldn't listen, stupid boy. So, I started unpacking our cooking utensils, our lamp, the coffee table and everything else. Soon, Ginny came to help me.

"Hey, aren't you helping Ron and Harry?" I asked.

"I was, but then they almost killed me when they tried levitating the dressing tables up the stairs. Harry, as usual, got concerned and practically threw me down the stairs." Ginny told me. I laughed. Yep, sounded like Harry and Ron, concerned about Ginny. Ginny looked at the control for the TV, and looked confused.

"Not to sound dumb, but what does this do?" Ginny asked. I stared at her in awe.

"You've never watched the Television?" I asked.

"No, I grew up playing Quidditch and being home schooled by mum."

"And you and Harry don't own one?"

"No, we're both at work all day, and if we want the news, we just read the _Daily Prophet_."

I shake my head, disbelieving what I heard. I mean, I should of known; Ron was confused when I brought the TV, and I had to tell him how to use it. Then again, these are the Weasley's.

"Hey, I'm going to go and talk to Ron about the rooms, OK?" I asked.

"Yep, I'll be down here, unpacking whatever this stuff is." Ginny replied.

I raced up the stairs, where Ron and Harry were surrounded by our bed, dressing table, and boxes and boxes of clothes and hangers.

"Hermione, I thought that we told you and Ginny to stay downstairs." Ron said. I shake my head.

"Listen, Harry, can you give me and Ron a minute?" I asked. Harry nodded and went downstairs. I could hear Harry flirting with Ginny downstairs. "Ron, I was wondering which room we were going to have."

"Oh, I forgot about that. Umm, let's look at them then." Downstairs, I could hear Harry and Ginny kissing.

I went into the front bedroom. It was quite big, and there was a large window, looking out onto Ottery St. Catchpole. I could see the playground that Ron, Ginny, Harry and I had been to with James. I had look at the size of the room and I turned to Ron, who was looking around too, obviously following my train of thought.

"What about this room?" I asked. He nodded. Before I could say anything, he was kissing me, pressing my body up against the bedroom wall. As much as I would have told him off, I felt nothing but turned on. I started tugging at Ron's hair.

"Ron, stop!" I said, although I didn't want him to.

"Why?" Ron sounded hurt for a moment.

"Well, Harry and Ginny are downstairs, and listen!" We were both silent. Then, from downstairs, I could hear some moaning, and thumping. "It's Harry and Ginny!"

Ron laughed, although I could tell that he was trying to decide whether to stay up here with me, or to storm downstairs and intrude on them.

"Umm, I'll help unpack the clothes, Ron." Ron seemed to come back to Earth when I said his name.

"Yeah, OK."

* * *

Ten weeks later, Ron and I had settled in completely. I was about four months and a week pregnant. I'd booked an appointment with a Nurse at the nearby hospital, and were going to find out the sex.

Ron woke up on the morning, excited and nervous. He couldn't decide whether to eat some scrambled eggs on toast or a bowl of cereal. In the end, he settled for a sausage sandwich. Afterwards, we apparated outside the hospital, just five minutes before our appointment.

"Mr and Mrs Weasley?" Asked the woman at the desk. We nodded. "Room thirty five."

We managed to find the room fairly quickly, as we'd done it before. The Nurse was waiting for us, all of the scanning equipment ready.

"Good Morning Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley." She said. "I'm Nurse Alice. Mrs Weasley, would you like to just lie down there?" She pointed to the little bed. I nodded and lifted up my shirt. The nurse rubbed some gel on my stomach, which was getting very big, and showed us a picture on the screen.

I gasped. There, on the screen, was a large Fetus. It was curled up, and was sucking it's thumb.

"Ah, yes. The baby is very healthy, it's got a very strong heartbeat, and is sucking it's thumb, see?" Ron and I nodded. Ron held my hand, and grinning, grinning like I'd never seen him grin before, tears in his eyes.

"D-do you know the sex?" Ron asked.

"Hmmm-Yep, it's a girl!" Ron nodded.

"A girl." He said, as if he'd never heard anything so beautiful.

"She's very big, and very pretty. Would you like a picture?" Ron and I nodded eagerly. She printed one out, handing it to us. The baby in the picture is, like the nurse said, beautiful. She looked very healthy, and big. I handed it to Ron, who looked at the picture lovingly.

After we'd left the hospital and apparated home, I made sure that we still had the picture.

"Our little girl." Ron said, putting his hand on my stomach. Suddenly, I felt her kick.

"Did she just-?" I asked, trailing off when I felt it again. Ron nodded.

"Quick, Hermione, put your hand on your stomach!" I did, and this time, I felt it again. It was very strong, but didn't hurt me. I felt tears come into my eyes, and I saw that Ron had too.

At Dinner, later that evening, I decided that we needed to discuss some things. Luckily, it was a Friday, so we'd have the whole weekend to work thing out.

"Ron, I think that we need to think about our little girls name." I said, my mouth full of the Pasta Salad that I'd made. Ron gulped the Bacon Sandwich in his mouth down.

"I agree. So, thought of any names?" He asked. I laughed. Right, I had to think of the names.

"Umm, what about…Molly, like your mum?" I suggested.

"I dunno Hermione, it's kinda old fashioned. What about Lucy? Or Lily, like Harry's mum?" Ron suggested.

"Actually, they're not bad. What about Anna? Or Anne? They're nice."

"Mia?"

"OK, we'll think of it later then. Also, what about her room? We'll need it painted, and all the Nappies, and the cot and all that brought."

"Well, why don't we paint the room Red and Gold, like the Gryffindor colours?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, OK. So, when do you want to buy the paint and cot?"

"Tomorrow? I mean, I needed to go to Diagon Alley anyway, I needed to buy a new quill and some ink, I'm running out of that at work." Ron agreed.

* * *

The Next morning, we met up with Harry and Ginny, who were looking for some nappies, and we decided that we'd meet up for lunch the next day. After, Ron and I went into _Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment. _I was surprised that they sold paint here, but Ron seemed to know, and brought two tins of Red and Gold paint. After we paid for the paint, we flooed (I read somewhere that it wasn't very safe for the baby) home, and started painting.

We changed into our old, torn clothes, and picked the paints up.

"So, which room is she going to sleep in?" Ron asked, looking at my huge stomach.

"Umm, what about the one facing the back garden?" I suggested. He nodded and we went down the hall to the room.

This room was perfect for our little girl. It had a large window that looked out onto the garden. Over the last couple of months of living here, Ron had convinced me (After a lot of begging and pleading… and a snog….) to let him turn the back garden into a big Quidditch Pitch. This took up a lot of money, but we both had good jobs, and made a lot, so that wasn't too much of a problem. So, our little girl would get to have a window that looked out onto the Quidditch Pitch. I didn't think that she could have been happier.

I owled Harry and Ginny, after a second thought, and asked them to come round to help us, the room was that big. Luckily, they sent Pig (Who Ron decided would come in handy when we moved in together) back almost immediately, telling us that they'd be around in ten minutes. Ron and I decided to find the paintbrushes and open up the tins.

Harry and Ginny arrived. They had James in a little baby carrier.

"Hi!" Ginny said, giving Harry the baby carrier, and then hugging me. I hugged her back. "Wow, Hermione, Ron was right, you are getting bigger!"

"Really?" I asked, shooting an icy glance at Ron, who looked nervous as he said hello to Harry.

"You should of seen me, I was absolutely huge!" Ginny said. I noticed that she was wearing an old black T-shirt, and some baggy tracksuit bottoms. Harry was wearing an old grey T-shirt and jeans that were ripped and torn. I guessed that the shirt must of belonged to Dudley.

"Hi Harry! How's James?" I asked, while Ginny hugged Ron.

"Oh, he's fine, I mean, he's not been sleeping very well lately, Ginny thinks that he has a cold." Harry said.

"Aww, will he be alright?" I asked, looking at my Godson, who was sleeping peacefully.

"Yeah, he's a bit better, a lot better then last week." I smiled. I saw Harry a lot still, but my best friend was often in the middle of looking after James. I could see how much Harry loved James; After all, James and Ginny were the only family that he had now.

We started painting. Harry and Ginny smiled when they saw that we'd brought the Gryffindor colours. Ginny said that James would be fine just left peacefully in the corner of the room, away from the paints and ladders. I could see her concern; Paints weren't the best thing for a baby to be smelling.

As we worked, we talked.

"So, how was the scan yesterday?" Ginny asked, her tongue in the corner of her mouth as she concentrated.

"Perfect," Ron answered. "The nurse said that we're having a little girl."

"Congrats mate!" Harry said, painting a gold stripe, occasionally looking over at James to check that he was OK.

"And we have a picture of her. She's sucking her thumb in the picture. The nurse said that she's very healthy, very big, and very beautiful. She had a strong heartbeat." Ron said, pride extremely evident in his voice.

"Hey, Hermione?" Ginny said. "Is it alright if we paint the Gryffindor lion on the wall?"

"Yep, good idea Ginny!" I said. I picked up a pencil lying on the floor, and handed it to Ginny, who, with Harry's help, started drawing a large Gryffindor lion on the wall, while Ron and I carried on painting the red and gold stripes.

"So, Ginny, I hear that James has a cold." I said.

"Oh, yeah. Poor thing. He was crying all night, bless him, and he's got a bit of a runny nose." Ginny answered, not taking her eyes off the half drawn lion.

"Aww," I said. "You must have been very worried about him."

"Well, of course," Harry said, carefully painting around the pencilled lion. "I mean, he's only five months old. Although, the times flown by."

"It has," Ron agreed. "I mean, it seems like only yesterday that Ginny had James, and we move here."

"So, Ginny, I hear that you're going back to work soon. Are you looking forward to rejoining the Holyhead Harpies?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to wait another week, until James is feeling better." Ginny said, finishing off the lion. It looked truly tremendous.

"Well, who's going to look after him?" Ron asked. I had a feeling that they might of said us, but they didn't.

"Well, I was going to ask Molly," Harry said, picking up the paintbrushes that he and Ginny had put out the way. "But I'm going to see if I can take a few days off a week, or only go in for a shift or two, just until we can work something out."

"That makes sense." Ron said. "So, do you want any help with that lion?"

"Umm, no thanks, we'll be OK." Harry said.

"Well, this room is already looking brilliant." I said. Half of the room had been painted, the other half was left blank. I opened up some more tins of paint and started painting again. Ron did too.

Finally, by about seven o'clock, the room was done. It's truly magnificent. The walls were painted with Red and Gold striped, except for the massive Gryffindor Lion in the middle of one wall. Everything is painted so neatly, so perfectly. Just, the perfect room for our little girl.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I woke up in the middle of the night. I felt a pain in my stomach, but I told myself that the baby was probably just hungry, or kicking. Suddenly, the pain intensified.

"Ron!" I said loudly. "Ron! Wake up!" I punched him on the shoulder.

"What? Hermione?" He looked at me worriedly. "Are you OK?"

"I-I think so, I think that she's just-AH!" I screamed. Ron pulled the covers off us, sitting up properly.

"Hermione, what's going on?" He asked, pulling me up so we were both sitting up.

"I-I don't know!" I cried.

"M-maybe it's labour!"

"N-No, it's not time yet. Ron, t-turn on the l-lamp-AH!" I screamed again, as more pain hit me.

Ron turned on the lamp quickly, before turning back to me. His eyes widened, as he saw me sweating.

"Hermione, please tell me that you're OK!" He said. I screamed a little more.

"I-I don't know!" I cried, tears streaming down my cheeks. "T-this can't happen!"

"Hermione, you're-you're bleeding!" Ron said, tears streaming down his freckled cheeks.

"N-no! This c-c-can't happen!"

"Come on, we have to get to St. Mungo's quickly!" Ron said, feeling around for his wand.

"R-Ron, I-I can't b-breath! P-please!" I screamed. I could hear some of the neighbours wake up. "P-please!"

"H-Hermione, just calm down, I can't find my wand!"

"HURRY!" My scream was so loud, that I could hear a baby crying from down the street.

"Alright, I've found it!" Ron said, holding up his wand.

"JUST GET ME TO ST. MUNGO'S!" Ron got out of bed, picking me up and cradling me in his big arms.

"It'll be OK, it'll be OK, it'll be OK…." Ron chanted to himself, carrying me down the stairs. He put me down on the sofa, and ran to Pig, who had woken up when I screamed. Ron scribbled a message down on a piece of parchment and attached it to his leg. "Harry and Ginny, they'll tell everyone else!" he said to the owl, who took off immediately. Ron picked me up and went into the fire place, grabbing a little bit of Floo Powder. "ST. MUNGO'S!"

We arrived at St Mungo's quickly, and I continued to sob into Ron's Pyjama top.

"We need help!" Ron shouted at the bewildered looking nurse. "I'm Ron Weasley and this is my wife, Hermione Weasley, I-I think that she's having a miscarriage!" The nurse hurried over to us, leaving the other bewildered witches and wizards staring at us.

"I'll take her now dear," said a midwife. I could feel smaller and softer hands on me. I let her take me in her arms, as she soothed me, trying to get me to let go of Ron.

"Please, I need him with me!" I said.

"OK sweetie. Come on, just carry her for me, there you go." The nurse said, leading Ron down the hall to a room. I opened my eyes for the first time, looking up at Ron. Blood was soaking his maroon pyjama top, through and through. I let out a strangled sob. He was crying, rocking me gently, soothing me, although his voice was just as thick as last time. I couldn't stop sobbing and crying; the pain from the miscarriage was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. I'd lost my second Baby Weasley.

* * *

I woke up in St. Mungo's the next morning. I was in a different pair of pyjama's; St Mungo's ones. Ron was asleep on a chair by my bedside, in a maroon Weasley jumper. Harry was in his red pyjama's, cuddled up with Ginny outside with the other Weasley's, who were also asleep. I yawned, waking Ron up.

"Hermione?" He mumbled.

"Y-yeah?" I asked shakily.

"Are you OK?" He asked, coming to sit on the edge of my bed.

"No, Oh Ron!" I cried, hugging him. "I-I'm so sorry!"

"It-it'll be OK, Hermione, it's not your fault. Like before, we'll try again."

"B-but I j-just hate d-disappointing you Ron!"

"But you're not, Hermione, it's not your fault, it's not." I just shook my head, wishing that last night hadn't happened. "Hermione, you've never disappointed me."

"Hey," Ginny's voice floated in the room. "Are you guys OK?" She asked, walking into the room and sitting next to us.

"Of course we are Ginny, we're just really chuffed that Hermione miscarried!" Ron said sarcastically as Harry came in too.

"I-I was just asking…"

"Yeah, well, it was a stupid question!"

"Just leave her alone mate," Harry said, putting an arm around Ginny's shoulder. "She was just checking on you, she was concerned!"

"Maybe she should just think a little next time!" Ron snarled at Ginny.

"Just. Leave. Her. Alone." Harry snarled back.

"Please, stop fighting!" I whimpered, cuddling back into Ron.

Harry and Ron stopped snarling at each other, settling for shooting icy glares at each other.

"Listen, Hermione, I'm really sorry about what happened," Ginny said, putting a comforting hand on mine. "Especially since you did the room up only yesterday."

"I know." I sniffed. "Where's James?"

"Oh, I left him out there with my mum, she said she's happy to keep an eye on him." Ginny said. "I mean, as soon as we got your owl, we apparated to The Burrow and told everyone. We didn't even get dressed or anything." I looked at Ginny's pink pyjama's.

"Thanks for coming Harry, Ginny, I mean, thanks." Ron said. Ginny leaned over and hugged him.

"It's OK, Ron, it's OK." Ginny told him. I smiled a little. This is the family that Ron and I wanted; a loving family, who had each others backs. "One day, you'll be here again, but for a happier reason."

The miscarriage shook the entire Weasley family largely. After Harry and Ginny came in, Molly and Arthur came in with James, who was still asleep. I noticed that Molly was crying again.

"Hermione, dear, I owled your mother and father, but they said that they'll talk to you later." I nodded. I was still shocked by what had happened.

After all of the Weasley's had visited, I stayed with Ron, Harry, Ginny and James. Harry and Ginny had put on some clothes now, and even brought me back some pyjama's.

"I can't imagine how them St. Mungo's ones must feel," Ginny shuddered as I pulled on my Pyjama shirt.

"They really are awful." I admitted when I was done dressing.

"Listen, Ron, Hermione, we're both really sorry about what happened, I mean, it's just really unexpected." Harry said.

"I know mate." Ron said, still sitting by my side. He hadn't moved except to go to the toilet.

"But, like you said last time Ron, you can always try again." Ginny said.

"I suppose. It's just, that we already painted the room…." I said miserably.

"Hermione, think, we only painted the room red and gold, not pink or blue, so it's a boy _and _a girl's room." Ginny pointed out. I knew she was right.

"We know Ginny." Ron said quietly.

"So," Harry said. Ron and I both knew that he was just trying to start conversation. "Andromeda said that she's bringing Teddy's round ours for the week, maybe we could bring him round yours, if you're home. If not, we could just bring him here to say hello."

"Yeah, that'd be brilliant." Ron said, brightening up a little bit. "I'm sure that they'll let us out today, or this afternoon."

"We were also thinking that we might be able to have Victoire round, so that she and Teddy could have a sleep over." Ginny said. "Maybe you'd like to give us a little bit of help trying to control them two."

"Yeah, thanks Ginny, just Owl us when you want us round." I said, trying to think on the bright side of things. I gave a little laugh at the thought of Victoire and Teddy running around 12 Grimmauld Place, while Harry tried to chase them.

"I mean, now that we've had James, we're a bit busy," Harry said. "I mean, I need to keep an eye on Teddy too, and I can't just leave Ginny to look after James. That's so not 'The Boy Who Lived.'"

I couldn't help but snort with laughter.

* * *

We apparated to 12 Grimmauld Place a few days later. I'd been released from St. Mungo's a few days ago too, but I was trying to pretend that nothing had happened.

"Finally!" Harry sighed, as we appeared in the hallway. Victoire ran past us, followed by Teddy, who's hair was tomato red. I felt sad as I remembered Tonks doing that just before our fifth year. "They've caused nothing but trouble since Victoire got here!"

"Yeah, well, we were just about to go out to dinner when you owled us." I said. "Ron said that he wanted a special night, just for the two of us."

"Oh, well, if you want, you can go…." Harry said.

"NO! It's OK, we'll just go tomorrow." Ron said.

Ron _had _wanted a private night, just the two of us. He wanted to try again. I didn't mind. Well, I was a little sore, but I thought that if we wanted a baby, of course we'd have to try.

"So, what are we doing with them?" I asked, as Victoire screamed from the Dining Room, and there was a loud crash.

"Aww, crap." Harry groaned, leading us into the Dining Room. On the floor, was a shattered vase. I guessed that it was one that Dudley must of sent them. Ugh. "Teddy, Victoire, that's enough running around now, OK?"

"But Uncle Harry," Teddy said, staying standing on a chair. "You said for us to have fun, we're having fun."

"Well, I know, but your Aunt Ginny is trying to get James to go to sleep, so that we can spend the night with you." Harry said. He looked at us, pleading for help.

"Umm, why don't we take them to Diagon Alley?" I asked, thinking hard. "Or, we could make them a fort."

"A fort, Yey!" Teddy shouted, jumping down from the chair while Harry repaired the vase. Victoire squealed and followed Teddy out of the room.

"Well, we'll just….go." Ron said, following his niece and Teddy. I smiled.

"He's brilliant with them." I said. Harry just sighed and followed me out of the room.

Ron had managed to summon ten chairs and twenty blankets to the Living Room. Teddy and Victoire sat silently in the middle of the room, watching Ron. I stood by the door as I watched Ron and Harry start building a fort. I smiled. He would of made a great father…

"You OK Hermione?" Ginny asked, suddenly appearing. I nodded, wiping my eyes. Ginny gave me a small hug. "I'm fine, it's just, Ron would make such a good father…."

"I know, one day he will Hermione, but for now, it's just like this." Ginny said.

"Where's James?" I asked.

"Asleep, it took me a while though."

"Hey, can we have some help here?" Harry asked. Teddy and Victoire were still cross legged in the middle of the room. I laughed and knelt next to Ron, handing him a blanket. He draped it over a chair without speaking to me. I looked over at Harry and Ginny, who were flirting. Teddy and Victoire were still chatting.

"Ron," I whispered. He looked up at me, tucking the blanket in. "Let's try again, when we go home."

"Hermione, are you sure?" He asked, surprised. "I mean, it's so soon after…."

"Ron, do you want a baby or not?" I asked, hurt.

"Of course I do!" He said quickly. "It's just, so soon…."

"I know, but I want to try again." He smiled.

"Me too Hermione, me too." He gave me a kiss.

"Uhhhh! Uncle Harry, stop Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione to stop snogging!" Teddy moaned, while Victoire giggled. Ron and I went red as we pulled apart.

"There, they've stopped." Harry said.

* * *

Dinner at Grimmauld Place was OK, except that Harry burnt the food.

"Well, I'm never trying to make that again." Harry said, dumping a burnt chicken in the bin. "What about a pizza guys?"

"Ooh, yes please Uncle Harry!" Teddy shouted, jumping up and down. Victoire nodded eagerly and they ran off together, laughing.

"Well, do you want us to stay the night Harry?" I asked, wager to start trying again.

"Umm, I don't know. Ask Ginny." Harry said, pulling out a leaflet for a pizza place called _Tops Pizza_, and dialled the number on a nearby telephone lying on the kitchen counter.

"Ginny?" I asked. Ginny looked up. "Is it OK if Ron and I go home after we've eaten something, we want to try again." Ginny gave us a large smile.

"OK, we'll call you if the kids get out of hand." Ginny said. "So, you're trying again?"

"Yeah, we're not giving up."

"HELP!" we both turned around and ran to the Living Room as Ron screamed for help. We ran and soon, we saw Ron, sprawled on the floor, being tickled by Victoire and Teddy. We both laughed. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, HELP ME!"

I gave Ginny a look and jumped on Ron, helping the kids tickle him.

"OI! I'M YOUR HUSBAND!"

"Good for you, you lucky git!" I said, increasing the tickling.

"GINNY, HELP ME, I'M YOUR BROTHER!" Ron shouted. Ginny came and joined me, tickling him violently. "OI! AGAIN, I'M YOUR BROTHER!"

"Like Hermione said, good for you, you lucky son of a bitch!" she laughed.

Harry came in. "Guys," We all looked up. "You need to let Ron up, please."

Teddy and Victoire frowned and crossed their arms. Ginny and I glared at him for ruining our fun and making the kids upset.

"Why Harry?" Ginny asked, an icy tone in her voice. Ron smiled, looking relieved.

Harry smiled evilly at Ron. "Because he's paying for the pizza's." We all laughed.

"WHAT?"

* * *

We apparated home at eight pm. Harry and Ginny had managed to settle Teddy and Victoire long enough for them to choose a movie and fall asleep by the fire. Ron looked at me and yawned.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm stuffed." he said. I smiled.

"Yeah, me too-" I broke off as he pulled me into a heated and passionate kiss. When he pulled away, I was breathing heavily. "I thought you were too stuffed?"

"Yeah, so, in theory, I need to burn off them calories…." We said no more, as he carried me up the stairs, pausing only to kick our bedroom door open. I wrapped my legs around his slim waist.

"Bloody Hell Ron.." I hardly ever swore...

**Sorry I took the end bit out, it's just that my Aunt and Uncle are going to be reading this... Oh 'eck!**


	6. Chapter 6

**First of all, thank you all for reviewing and making this story and me on your favourites lists, I'm extremely flattered! Thank you to everybody who reads this and puts this on Story Alerts, I mean, I never knew that everybody would do that! **

**Enjoy Chapter 6!**

Chapter 6

I tapped my fingers on the kitchen counter impatiently. Ron was never home nowadays. I'd made him his favourite dinner, lit some candles and put on the shortest dress that I could find. So, all in all, he should of come home to have a good night. But he hadn't.

I began to fiddle absent mindedly with my earrings. I couldn't help but feel a little anxious about him. He'd never been late before. What if he was hurt? Or worse, dead? No, I told myself, he was just at the office today, not on any missions. _What if he's cheating on you? What if you're not enough for him? What if he wants Lavender now? What if she can give him a child, and you can't? _I shook my head angrily. Ron wouldn't do that. He loved me, I knew that, but I was just worried that he would just…stop loving me.

There was a crack. I ran out into the hall, half relieved, half angry, expecting to see Ron standing there, with a goofy smile on his face. But, no.

Ron was on the floor. Harry was leaning over him, panting. He looked up at me, his glasses askew.

"Harry, what's going on?" I asked, immediately forgetting that I was angry at Ron.

"We-We were leaving work, a-and some Death Eater- He saw us….." Harry said, half sobbing as I leaned next to Ron.

"What? Death Eaters?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, he and a bunch of his mates attacked us! A-and Ron got hit by a curse!" I looked at Ron.

Ron was breathing very heavily. His lips were trying to form words, as he gasped for air. "Er-my-nee." He croaked. I started sobbing.

"Will h-he be OK? Why didn't you take him to St Mungo's?" I shrieked at Harry.

"Oh-er-sorry."

"GET OUT!" I screamed. Harry hung his head and disapparated. I clutched Ron's sweaty hand and apparated to St Mungo's.

"OH MY!" A healer said. I was on the floor, on top of Ron. I cried, as everybody gathered around us. The healer levitated Ron in the air and followed him as he flew down the corridors. She turned to me for a moment.

"You better come with me deary." She said, as she started following him again. I nodded and stood up, feeling horribly sick.

Soon, we were in a room. Dozen's of healers rushed past, trying to tip potions down Ron's throat. Outside, I heard thousands of footsteps. Harry and Ginny rushed in, followed by Molly, Arthur and all of the Weasley's.

"Harry, what are you lot doing here?" I asked.

"Well, do you think that you're the only one that cares about him?" he asked. One of the healers turned around, and frowned at the swarm of red hair crowding into Ron's room.

"Please! Can we only have three people in at a time!" She said. She turned to me. "Are you the wife?"

"Yes." I said.

"Right, you can stay. Who else is close to the patient?"

"Oh," I said. I didn't know. They were all so close to him. "Umm, his sister." Ginny smiled at me.

"Right, anyone else?"

"Yeah, Harry." I said. Harry raised his eyebrows but made no comment. While everyone else filed out, I went and sat in a chair next to Ron's bed. Ginny came and sat next to me, while she cradled a sleeping James to her chest.

"So, what happened?" She asked. I just shook my head, tears in my eyes again.

"Harry said that some Death Eater's were waiting outside work, and when they saw them, they attacked. They went and hit Ron with a curse." I said. Ginny's eyes went wide.

"Is Harry OK?" She asked. Harry nodded. Ginny started checking his face, as if there would be a scar the length of his face. I turned back to Ron. He was snoring lightly now. I wondered what the healers had done. Whatever it was, they were good. Very good.

Ron seemed to look a lot better. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. I clutched his hand tightly and sat there, watching his mouth try to form more words, as he tried to wake up. I willed him, in my mind, to wake up. If only he could be conscious…..

"Hermione, dear." Mrs Weasley said. I looked up. "How is he?"

"He was shot by a Death Eater, but the Healer's say that he'll be fine." I said. Mrs Weasley just shook her head.

"So, how's it going, with the trying?" I went a shade not too different from Weasley red.

"Oh, yeah….just…umm…."

"Well, are you pregnant yet?" She asked.

"No," I sighed. "Not yet. But, we just have to wait."

"Oh, well, no rush, you're both young, plenty of time." She looked worriedly at Ron. "Will he be OK?"

"Yes, the nurse said he would." Molly looked instantly relieved.

"Good, good….."

* * *

Ron woke up. I was the only one still here, as everyone else had gone back to the Burrow. It was late at night, and I was still watching him intently. When his eyes fluttered open, they immediately saw me curled up by his bed.

"Hermione?" He asked croakily.

"I'm here Ron, I'm here." I told him. His hand immediately cupped mine, squeezing it tightly. I ran my free hand through his damp hair. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap." He said. "I love you Hermione."

"So you've said, a million times." I reminded him, although I secretly loved him saying that.

"That's because I do, lots and lots." I laughed weakly. "So, how long was I out for the count?"

"About seven hours, I'd say."

"Bloody Hell!" Ron said. I scowled a little. "Sorry." I just shook my head and smiled.

* * *

Ron had been released two days later. As soon as we had apparated back home safely, I was in his arms, already giving him the most passionate kiss that I could manage.

"I love you Ron." I said.

"I know." He replied.

* * *

Two weeks later, I decided to get a pregnancy test. I walked down to the muggle pharmacy shop, beaming at everyone I passed. I had a good feeling about today. Ron and I had been going at it like rabbits, so I was quite certain that I was pregnant.

I picked up a pregnancy test and paid for it at the counter, quick as a flash. As I walked out, I felt like running, so that I could get home and pee on the stick and find out if I was pregnant or not. Like I said, rabbits.

I got home five minutes later. I raced up the stairs, and pulled my trousers down halfway down the hallway. I quickly locked the door and ripped the box open and grabbing the first stick that I could get my hands on, I sat down on the loo, immediately-er-well, going to the loo. Five minutes couldn't have ticked by longer.

About a minute after I had gotten in, I heard Ron apparate home.

"Hermione!" He shouted up the stairs.

"I'm in here Ron!" I shouted back. He raced in, as if he'd been standing outside.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm taking a pregnancy test." I said simply.

"Oh." He said, sitting on the edge of the bath. We sat there in silence. "Do you think that it worked then?"

"Of course I do. We've done it twice with no problem, so why should there be one now?" I asked. "Anyway, we go at it like rabbits."

I checked my watch. The time had gone. I held my breath. I pulled the stick from under me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to look, not daring to.

"Hermione." Ron said, not a question, but firmly. He gave me a smile. Cheat. "Go on, look."

I looked. Yet again, a plus.

I screamed with happiness. Ron shouted as loud as he could. I was having a baby. _A baby_. He spinned me around and around in the bathroom, giving me a _huge _passionate kiss on the lips. Once again, the shouts of "I love you so bloody much Hermione!" and "I'm going to be a daddy!" filled the air. Once again, we were going to have to tell Molly. And the Weasley's. But we didn't care. We were too happy to care about anything but the new life in my womb. Hopefully, it would be alright.

Once again, the Weasley's were ecstatic. Molly and Arthur had even offered to take us out to dinner at a fancy muggle restaurant. Ron's brothers had clapped him on the back, commenting about the power of "Weasley Fertility". I raised my eyebrows.

"Weasley Fertility?" I asked.

"Well," scoffed George. "Yeah. I mean, look at us. Mum and dad had _seven_ children. All of us have children of our own." I raised another eyebrow.

"But seriously, Weasley Fertility?"

"What's Weasley Fertility?" Molly asked, joining the conversation.

"Nothing mum." George said quickly.

"Good job Ron." Ginny said. Ron blushed scarlet.

"Yeah, well done." Harry said. He had gone pale. "Umm, well, now that that's over and done with, Ginny and I also have an announcement." We all looked at Harry. I was holding six month year old James.

"Well," Harry said. "We're having another baby." The noise in the room was so loud that I had to cover my ears with one hand, the other keeping James stable on my lap.

"Congratulations mate!" Ron said, shaking Harry's hand. Harry beamed brightly as everybody else went to shake his hand. I went up to Ginny, handing her James.

"Congratulations Ginny." I said, beaming at her. "I mean, our babies will be in the same year at Hogwarts!" She smiled now.

"Really? Wow, I never thought of that before." She said. "Congratulations to you too Hermione, I look forward to having _another_ niece or nephew." I laughed.

"Me too." James gave a little burp. We both burst out giggling. "He's so adorable Ginny." I said. She looked at him proudly.

"I know, it's hard to believe that something as gorgeous as James," James yawned and burrowed into her chest. "Came from inside of me. That I actually pushed out this angel." She smoothed down James's messy red hair affectionately. I imagined myself doing that to a baby that looked like Ron. It brought a smile to my lips.

"Aww, his hair's sticking up at the back, like Harry's." I commented. She looked at James closely and saw that I was right.

"Aww, you're right. He just looks so much like Harry!" She said. "Curse Weasley hair."

"I like Weasley hair." I said. "It reminds me of Roses. It's a beautiful colour." I said. She looked at me with great amusement.

"You're only saying that because you're married to my brother." She said. She was right, but I really did love the fiery colour, especially on Ron's head, when I would pull at the locks when we were kissing…

"I hope that the newest Weasley baby has his hair." I said, touching my still flat stomach. "Whether I have a boy or a girl."

"Well, with the family's history of having children," Ginny pointed out. "I'd say that it's very likely that you're having a boy." I laughed again.

"Oh Yeah! You're right. I have a one out of seven chance of having a girl." I said.

"Well, it depends if Ron inherited the dreaded "Weasley Curse" or not." I snorted with laughter.

"That's the almost as bad as the "Weasley Fertility" thing." She snorted with laughter too.

"Weasley Fertility?" She asked.

"Ask your brother George." I said, shooting a glance over at the twin in question. He was telling some sort of amusing joke to Ron.

"Well, actually, I don't know if I want to know."

"You probably don't."

My own parents were just as excited. Of course, my dad acted as if this was the first time that I was pregnant, but mum never said anything in front of him.

"Oh Hermione, that's wonderful!" My mother said, giving me a large hug.

"Well done." My dad said, shaking Ron's hand, before putting an arm around his shoulder. "Let's go for a walk in the garden."

Ron gulped but walked alongside my father.

Taking advantage of them gone, my mother sat me down at the table, for one of her "Is he treating you properly/Do you really love each other?" talks. Each time, I'd tell her the same thing.

"Now Hermione, are you sure that you're ready for this?" she asked, giving me a steaming cup of tea.

"Yes, of course I am." I said. "I mean, I'm almost twenty six!"

"Oh, yes, of course." My mum said to herself. "It's just that, being your parents, we still think that you're too young."

"Mum! I'm twenty five, I'm married, I'm allowed to have sex and get pregnant!" I said.

"I know, I know." We both sighed at the same time.

While there was silence, I remembered how Ron had proposed to me, and how I knew that he'd been the one right from the start.

FLASHBACK

_Ron and I were sitting snuggled up on the sofa watching some sort of muggle movie. We were both nineteen, in fact, it was Ron's birthday. _

"_Hermione, are you still awake?" He asked, yawning. I nodded. I sat up a little bit._

"_I'm just going to pop to the loo." I said. He nodded and let me up. _

_As soon as I was done in the loo, I raced back to the sofa down the hall, desperate to have Ron hold me again. I mean, we hadn't had sex yet, I wanted to wait until we were married, if we ever did get married. But I still let him touch me. A lot. _

_Ron was sitting on the floor now. He looked up when I came in. _

"_Hey, what are you doing on the floor?" I asked. _

"_Hermione, just sit down." He said. I did and waited for him to speak. I hoped that he wasn't going to break up with me. I loved him too much for that. _

"_Umm, Hermione, I know that we've only been going out for a year or something like that, but I really do know that I love you." I smiled at him, feeling undying love for the red headed man in front of me. "You know, you're the one. And I was thinking that, you know, maybe, you'd marry me?" He pulled a large purple satin box out if his trouser pocket. I wondered how I had cuddled up with him and not known that. _

_He opened the box. I gasped. Inside was the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen. It was a gold band, with aquamarine stones, and the bluest sapphires I'd ever seen. _

"_Their our birthstones." Ron explained. _

"_I love it." I said. He took the ring out of the box and slid it on to my finger. The jewels sparkled as they hit the light. _

"_Will you marry me?" He asked again. I looked into his china blue eyes lovingly._

"_Of course I will Ron, I love you!" I told him with tears streaming down my cheeks. I took his face into my hands and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips, immediately trying to unbutton his shirt._

"_I thought that you wanted to wait until we were married." Ron said, moving to my neck. I loved the feel of his skin against mine. He hadn't shaved the previous night, so he had some stubble. I loved the way that his stubble brushed against my skin. _

"_Well, we're getting married, and that's good enough for me." I told him, breathing deeply. He stopped kissing me and picked me up, bridle style, and carried me to the bedroom. _

"_We need some practise." Ron said. "For our honeymoon." I didn't respond. I just held him close to me, tugging on his hair. "I love it when you do that." I pulled it harder. He moaned loudly. _

_After we had made love, he lay with me, the covers pulled over us, as he stroked my sweaty face. _

"_How did I get you?" He asked. I smiled at him._

"_Luck." I said. "And the fact that I would of tore any girls eyes out if they tried anything with you."_

"_This is the best birthday ever." He said. I giggled and pulled him into another searing kiss. "You know I, really do love you Hermione." He looked down at me adoringly, as if I were the most beautiful thing in the world."I love you too Ron. I love you more then life itself." I started nipping on his neck._

"_Aren't you tired yet?" Ron asked, smiling at me._

"_We need more practise." I said. "And you need payback."_

"_Why?" Ron asked, nipping on my neck in turn._

"_Because you went out with Lavender and were constantly snogging her."_

"_Well, we need to make up for all the years that we lost." He said. I nodded and moaned._

END OF FLASHBACK

Ron and my father came back in. Ron looked a little pale but smiled at me. I stood up.

"We really should be going." I said, looking at my watch. My parents nodded.

"Well, we'll talk to you on the telephone later then." My mother said, giving me and Ron a motherly hug.

When we had apparated home, I pulled Ron into a kiss.

"What were you thinking? In the kitchen?" Ron asked, already breathing deeply.

"Your nineteenth birthday, when we first made love after you proposed to me." He smiled. "What did my dad say to you?"

"Ah. He said about how now that you're pregnant, I have to be a little bit…..careful when we-" I cut him off with another kiss. "He also said that I have to stay faithful, and how if I don't, he'll lynch me alive." I giggled.

"My mum was saying about how I'm too young to have kids." Ron laughed. "I love it when you laugh, you sound so damn sexy."

"I love it when you giggle, you sound so…..happy. And Sexy." He added quickly.

"Why wouldn't I be happy? I have the sexiest husband in the entire world, I'm pregnant with his child, and I have such a wonderful family, complete with dozens of nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters in laws, a loving mother in law, and father in law, as well as my own parents. I'm the happiest witch in the entire world."

**I'll update as soon as possible! Read and Review PLZ!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yes, I'm back! I had writers block but I'm back! Could you please review this story? Pretty Please? :) Thanks to all those reading and reviewing, I love you all!**

Chapter 7

Ron and I couldn't wait nine months to see our little baby. We wanted to meet him-or her-immediately. I felt like we had waited way too long for the moment when we met our baby.

Harry and Ginny seemed the same. Harry fidgeted every time that we came over to see James, and started breaking stuff. I thanked God that we were wizards and could just fix stuff with the flick of a wand. Ginny seemed the same, and the cravings kicked in pretty quick. For both of us. I felt sorry for Harry and Ron, having to deal with us two being hormonal.

One night, in June (So I was about three months pregnant.), Ron and I were lying in bed, lying lazily on top of each other. My belly wasn't even getting big, but I still ran my hand along it.

"Hermione, you still awake?" He asked.

"Hmmm." I said, staring up at the ceiling.

"So, when are we going to have a scan?" He asked. I sighed.

"I don't know. I was going to wait another month or something." I told him.

"Will we be able to find out the sex then?" He asked, starting to stroke my messy hair.

"Yeah, we should do." We said nothing else. I thought back to when Ron proposed to me again. I remembered how my parents had reacted at first…..

_Flashback_

_Ron and I apparated to my parents house the next morning. He clutched my hand, where the ring (Which I had found out was Goblin-made later on) was round my finger. He gave my hand a quick squeeze and together, we walked up the path and I rung the doorbell. _

_My mother answered the door._

"_Hermione! What a lovely surprise!" She said, letting me in. My dad was sitting at the table in the kitchen, his feet up, and drinking a cup of tea. "So, are you OK? Any reason you've come to see us?" I gulped. Ron gave me a supportive smile. _

"_Ron and I are-" I couldn't say it, I was too nervous. "Ron and I are en-en…."_

"_Engaged." Ron finished, giving my hand another tight squeeze. I looked over to my parents. They were both staring at us open mouthed. _

_At last, my mother said quietly, "Hermione, can I have a quick word with you in the garden? Ron, would you like to stay in here and talk to Hermione's father?" Ron and I looked at each other. I gave him a small peck on the lips and followed my mother out of the kitchen and into the back garden. My mother stood there, her arms folded._

"_Hermione, are you really engaged?" She asked in a hushed voice._

"_Yes, why?" I asked, in another hushed voice, frowning at the suddenly worried look on her face._

"_Well, wasn't there also that Harry Potter?" she asked. I frowned even more. Everyone asked me this; Why don't you marry Harry Potter? The famous Harry Potter….._

"_Because I love Ron. We've been over this a million times…."_

"_But Ron's ginger!" I stood there, mouth open, appalled. _

"_So? I love him, and that's all that matters!"_

"_Well, it's just that…..have you seen the size of the family? His mother's a bit dumpy too, and the twin, he has an ear missing! And there are about a dozen of them already, they breed like cockroaches! And the hair….."_

"_Does that matter? His mother's kind, his Father's interesting, his brother's are fun to be around, Ginny's one of my only female friends and my other sister's-in-law are just as lovely…."_

"_Wait, you mean…?"_

"_Yes, I already consider myself as part of the Weasley family!" I told her fiercely, struggling to keep a hushed voice. "And no matter what you say, I'm marrying Ron and joining the Weasley's family properly!" I walked away from my astounded mother and went back to the kitchen._

_Ron was very red in the face, while my father looked very calm. _

"_Ron, I think that we should go now." Ron nodded and followed me out of the house, and together, we apparated back to our small but comfy flat. _

"_W-What did your mother say to you?" Ron asked, as we sat down at the table in the kitchen. _

"_She told me that I should be marrying Harry Potter." I told him. He went even redder._

"_And you said?" _

"_I told her that I love you," He gave me a small smile. "And then she started commenting about you large, but loving," I added quickly. "Family."_

"_What did she say about us?" Ron looked a little upset. I held his hand in mine._

"_She said that you breed like cockroaches, that your mother's dumpy and that George was missing an ear, so I told her that your parents are kind and interesting, all of your brother's are fun to be around, that Ginny's my closest female friend and that my sister's-in-law are just as lovely. I also told her that I love red hair, it's a beautiful colour." I ran my other hand through Ron's hair. He looked up into my eyes. "Then I told her that I already considered myself as part of the Weasley family, and that, no matter what she said, or did for that matter, I'm going to marry you and join the family properly, you know, become a Weasley myself." A tear dripped down his cheek. _

"_Really? You said all that about us?" He asked. I nodded. _

"_What did my dad say?" _

"_H-he told me that you would probably leave me for Harry, or someone with more money, or something like that. He told me that it wouldn't be that long." Another tear dropped down his cheek. I slid off my chair and into his lap. I took his face into my hands and kissed him. _

"_I'd never leave you Ron, if you never leave me." He nodded and kissed me back. "Why do you think I was so jealous of Lavender?"_

_End of Flashback_

I rolled over and looked up at Ron. He was snoring peacefully. I snuggled into him and yawned. True to my word, I was now a Weasley, and I'd married Ron, the person I'd been in love with ever since I could remember. My life was so perfect already. I gave a little sigh and fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, when I woke up, Ron was still asleep, as usual. I smiled to myself and got up to go to the toilet, being careful not to wake him up again.

I padded down the hall and, just as I reached the toilet, I saw my baby's room. Forgetting momentarily about my bladder, I quietly pushed the door open and tiptoed inside, as if the baby was asleep in here. I hadn't been in this room for a while.

The paint still looked fresh, with the red and gold stripes, the Gryffindor lion and the cot, which was standing in the middle of the room, along with a pram, boxes of baby clothes and even a little bath tub. I walked up to the cot, which was full of little blankets and baby's toys.

"Hermione?" I turned around. Ron was standing in the doorway of the room.

"Good morning Ron." I said to him, my eyes turning back to the cot. I felt him stand right behind me and put his arms around my waist, which was bloated just a little.

"Are you OK?" He asked. I smiled.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just….it feels like it was years ago we painted the room." I told him.

"I know. Do you want some breakfast, because I'll make it if you want me to-"

"Which in Ron language means _"Can you make me something to eat? I'm starved!"_, am I right?" I said, while he grinned madly like a twelve year old.

"You guessed it." I laughed.

"OK then, just get dressed and give me time to have a shower and I'll be right on it."

* * *

When July rolled round, Ron and I decided to do something special for Harry's birthday, he was turning twenty five. Luckily, his birthday was at the end of the month, so we had some time to think of something to get him. I decided that, while Ron and Harry were out on a quick mission, that Ginny and I should talk it over.

"So, Harry's birthday's coming up, what are you planning to get him?" I asked Ginny at 12 Grimmauld Place as she handed me a cup of tea. She looked at me with an embarrassed face, that was clear to me what she was planning to give him. "You're going to sha-?"

"Yes." Ginny said quickly. "Yes, I was going to do that."

"Anything else?"

"Er- yeah, some boxers I suppose, some t-shirts, what about you?"

"Ron and I don't know yet. What does Harry want?" I asked. Ginny shook her head.

"He says that his life's perfect enough already." Ginny blushed just a little.

"That's really corny. But sweet." I added quickly. Ginny smiled. James, who was playing with some toy bricks on the floor, gurgled, reaching his arms up to hug Ginny. Ginny giggled and picked him up, cooing him. I smiled. Soon, Ginny would have two babies to deal with, and it would be a lot harder for her to cope, as Harry would be at work, and then Ginny would have to go back to work.

"Umm, Ginny?" I said, she looked up at me. "Well, because you're having another baby, how are you going to cope, you know, with your job and looking after them?"

Ginny sighed sadly.

"That's the thing Hermione," She said. "Harry and I have been talking, and I think that I should stop playing on the Holyhead Harpies team." I nodded. Ginny was at work again, but was struggling a bit. "I mean, whenever I'm at work, I just want to be with James and Harry, but when I'm with James and Harry, I keep on thinking about work. I just don't know what to do." She put James in a highchair and sat down, sighing. I leant over the table and gave her hand a tight squeeze.

"Well, maybe you should take more time to think about this. Ginny, this is your dream job, you have your dream husband," Ginny blushed a bit at this. "And you have the perfect little boy, with number two on the way. If you give this job up, you can't go back to it later on. And say you can't find another job? What will you do then? Just sit at home?"

"No! Never!" She said fiercely. "It's just, when I was pregnant with James, well, I stayed at work when I was about five months pregnant. I was playing really high up, and one of the new Beaters on the team, well, the idiot sort of almost hit me in the stomach with a Bludger. And then I almost smacked into Gwenog, and Harry got really worried about me. It's just, Harry said that the job's too dangerous for a pregnant woman to play, and he obviously doesn't want me getting hurt." I sat there, open-mouthed.

"Really?" I asked.

"Really." Ginny confirmed.

"Well, maybe Harry's right." I said. "Quidditch is quite dangerous if you're pregnant."

"I know." Ginny sighed again.

"Well, why don't you apply for another job, but still keep the Quidditch one, just in case."

"Well, what other jobs are there?" I thought deeply.

"Well, the Daily Prophet's looking for a Senior Quidditch correspondent, so maybe you could apply for that." I said.

"Right, thanks Hermione." She gave me a sisterly hug.

We could hear Harry and Ron apparating outside the Living Room where we were sitting. Harry came in first, followed by Ron.

"Hi Hermione!" Harry said, sitting next to Ginny. Seeing Ginny's dim face made his smile turn immediately to a worried expression. "What's wrong Gin?"

Ron sat next to me, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

"We were talking about me getting a new job, so that I can spend more time here to look after James and the new baby when it comes." Harry clasped Ginny's hand, listening intently. "And, well, after that thing with James and that Beater…."

"Yeah, I'm still going to kick that guy's ass…." Harry said, smiling a little. Ginny didn't smile.

"Well, I think that I should apply for another job." Ginny finished, looking up into Harry's green eyes.

"Uh, sure, which job?" He asked.

"Senior Quidditch Correspondent for the Daily Prophet." Ginny said. "I mean, I'm going to keep the Harpies job in case I don't get that job, but I think that it'd be easier for me. And then I might be able to spend more time with you." She added quickly, winking at Harry. He grinned and nodded.

"OK Gin. Whatever makes you happy makes me happy. Hiya little buddy!" Harry said, tickling James underneath the chin, making him squeal. Ginny looked at Harry and James and smiled.

"Well, Ron and I have to get home," I said, breaking the moment. Harry and Ginny nodded and together, Ron and I stood up and apparated back to our Living Room.

I went into the kitchen and began putting dinner on.

"So, what did you do today?" Ron asked after he had changed and joined me in the kitchen.

"Well, except for talking to Ginny….nothing." I told him. "So, what are we getting Harry for his birthday?" I asked. I heard a dish shatter. I spun round, my bushy hair flying and saw Ron standing there, open mouthed, with the dish at his feet in a million pieces.

"I forgot it was his birthday." Ron said. I scowled.

"And that's a reason to break a dish?" I asked, although I was smirking on the inside.

"No, it's just…..blimey, his birthday." Ron said, staring at the shattered dish. He pulled out his wand and repaired the dish before putting it on the worktop. "I'd completely forgotten."

"You'd forgotten you best friends birthday?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"Well, yeah, I mean, it's been busy at work, and most of the time, everyone but me and Harry are complete idiots, and then I have to do all these papers…." Ron trailed off, shaking his head. I lead him out of the kitchen and into the Dining Room and sat him down in a nearby chair.

"You've never told me that you had all this work to do." I said. He shook his head again. "Well, I think that you'll need something to relieve the stress with…"

"Huh?" He asked, looking up, with a confused expression on his face. I winked at him and left the room to put the food down to cook on low. I walked back into the Dining Room and stood in front of Ron.

He was smirking. I winked at him again and sat in his lap, kissing him with all my might. When we pulled away, he began nibbling my ear, while my hands found his hair, running themselves through them.

"What did you have in mind Hermione?" He asked huskily.

"It's Mrs Weasley to you." I told him, kissing him on the lips again, slipping my tongue into his mouth.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" He said, his hands moving all over my body.

"I was thinking that we could do this…." Ron moaned loudly as I moved my hips a little.

"God…You're such a tease…." He whimpered. I smiled and we began kissing again. Believe me, the stress had gone.

* * *

During the week leading up to Harry's birthday, Ron seemed even more stressed. I could see it in his eyes when he got in from work, or when he kissed me, or grinned at me madly; there was no twinkle in his big blue eyes. The smile was sometimes put on. It tore me apart every time I saw him, working away until midnight, having too many sleepless nights, and when he couldn't get up in time for work he'd suddenly forget to say "Good morning" to me, he'd forget to say Goodbye to me when he left.

Just four days before Harry's birthday, Ron apparated back long after I'd brushed my teeth (My parents are dentists, so of course I had to do that.) and gone to bed, although I'd been lying awake for absolute hours. Ron stumbled sleepily into our room and fell on top of the bed, inches from me, not bothering to take his clothes off.

"Ron?" I heard a grunt, signalling he was still awake. "Where have you been?"

"Work." He grunted rolling onto his back.

"Why are you back so late?"

"All the paperwork, it's so hard. Can I go to sleep now?" He asked, turning onto his side and burrowing into his pillow. I lifted my hand and stroked his cheek gently, making him whimper a little, as if my touch hurt him.

"Your cheek, it's so cold." I said.

"Hmmm." Ron grumbled. "Stupid Elliot Lawrence." I looked at him sympathetically. Elliot Lawrence was one of Ron's co-workers. Ron and him had it in for each other, constantly trying to beat each other. I remembered one time when Ginny and I had invited him over to 12 Grimmauld Place to have dinner with us and with Harry, Teddy and Ginny, before James had been born, when Teddy was five…..

_Flashback_

"_I'm telling you Hermione, Lawrence is evil!" Ron complained. Harry nodded and Ginny and I just looked shocked. _

"_Give the man a chance," Ginny said, following my train of thought. "Remember what mum says; Don't judge a book by it's cover…" _

"_First impressions are often entirely wrong." I finished. Ginny nodded in agreement. Harry and Ron stared at us as if we were mad. _

"_Harry," Ginny said. "Could you go back to Grimmauld Place and put something decent on, check on Teddy…..and set the table while you're there!" She called after him as he grumpily walked into the hallway and apparated._

"_Ron, Lawrence will be at Grimmauld Place soon, can you please just put something decent to wear on- Don't look at me like that!" I snapped as he frowned deeply. "Just do this….for me." Ron sighed and headed off to our bedroom. "We'll be apparating in a few minutes!"_

_Ginny and I were dressed already. Ginny was wearing a beautiful green dress (Green didn't clash with her hair as much), with her long red hair half- up, half- down and was wearing a pair of high heels Harry had brought her for her birthday. I was wearing a dark blue dress, with my hair tied up (with the help of a lot of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, just like at the Yule Ball) into that same elegant knot at the back of my head (Also from the Yule Ball). I too was wearing matching high heels. I'd only made the effort because if this Lawrence happened to be "Evil", as Ron put it, then maybe he'd cut him some slack, or something like that. Although, I blushed at the idea he had told all the other Auror's I was "Amazingly beautiful"._

_When Ron had finished changing, the three of us apparated to Grimmauld Place and were met by Harry, who was red in the face and accompanied by a very old looking Kreacher, and a tall man with a thick build, not too different from McLaggen, and wispy blonde hair._

"_I'm Elliott Lawrence," he said, offering us each his hand. "Wow, Harry, your wife's really good-looking…really sexy…" Ginny chose to ignore that comment._

"_I'm Ginny Potter, nice to meet you." She said, shaking his hand and forcing a smile onto her face. "I'm Ron's sister too."_

"_Ron's sister? Well, you're rather good-looking…for a Weasley." Ginny's smile vanished. He turned to me. "And you are?"_

"_I'm Hermione Weasley, Ron's wife." I said, shaking his hand. "So nice to meet you."_

"_No! You can't be Weasley's wife, surely? You're too pretty!" He said. I looked over at Ron, who was his usual shade of beetroot. I giggled nervously._

"_Yes, I'm his wife, we've been married for years…."_

"_I know, I saw pictures in the Daily Prophet, but I thought that you were only doing it for the little money he owns." My smile vanished too. "You're muggle-born, aren't you?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Master Potter," Kreacher croaked. "Kreacher will go and set the table, the dinner is almost done." Kreacher apparated away with a _POP!

"_Er-Shall we go and wait for my house elf to dish up our food? Teddy's waiting for us…." Harry asked. Ginny and I nodded._

"_Umm, Ginny, can I have a word with you upstairs?" I asked. Ginny nodded. We quickly went up the stairs and stood in the room that I'd shared with Ron and Harry before fifth year. _

"_So they weren't kidding!" Ginny said, frowning. "What do you think he meant by that comment, that I'm 'Rather Good-looking- For a Weasley'?"_

"_Ginny, I think that he's just trying to be nice…"_

"_Nice? Nice Merlin's saggy left ass cheek!" _

"_Ginny!" I scolded. "Don't swear!" _

"_Hermione, this guy's just like Harry's been telling me….maybe this wasn't such a good idea…."_

"_Just give it a few minutes and it'll be fine." I told her, as we went back downstairs._

_Dinner was a rather eventful time. Soon, Lawrence was criticising almost everything in Grimmauld Place._

"_This place looks like it belonged to Dark Wizards," He commented. "I mean, look at it, it's a dump! Why would the famous Harry Potter want this place?" Harry looked murderous. _

"_It was my godfather's, he left it to me when he died." Harry said through gritted teeth. Ginny gave his hand a tight squeeze. _

"_Well, I guess that it's not your fault the place is a dump…Your godfather must have been quite thick to leave his godson, especially one as famous as Harry Potter, this place…."_

"_You shut up about my godfather!" Harry said loudly. He looked ready to punch Lawrence's guts out. "He wasn't thick, he was brave." I smiled at him. _

"_Another thing," Lawrence said, ignoring Harry. "The house elf, you treat him too kindly….you need to be stern with them, or they'll run away."_

"_Well," I said, speaking up for the first time. "Harry sees Kreacher as a friend. Kreacher was very kind to us during the Second Wizarding War, hiding us from You-Know-Who and helping us defeat him."_

"_The house elf wears a locket, why would a house elf wear a locket if it's male?"_

"_Harry gave to him as a present, for helping us. It belonged to one of Kreacher's favourite master, Harry's godfather's brother. It's very special to him." Ron said, clenching his knife and fork so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. _

"_Uncle Harry?" Teddy asked, tugging at Harry's sleeve. Harry looked at him. "Why is that man saying bad stuff about Mr. Kreacher?"_

"_I don't know Teddy." Harry said._

_Soon, Lawrence began criticising Harry, Ginny, Ron and me. Even Teddy._

"_Do all Weasley's have such horrid hair?" He asked. _

"_I like their hair." Harry said. Lawrence paid attention to what he was saying. "Ginny's hair is just… wow." Ginny blushed. _

"_I like their hair too," I said. "Ron once tried to dye it before we got married, but I caught him and managed to stop him."_

"_Well, what about the boys hair?" Teddy looked up, surprised. "It changes colour!"_

"_Sir, I can change it from blue to pink, see?" Teddy said proudly, making the colours change._

"_Teddy has a gift." Ginny and I said together. _

"_So, it's just abnormal. And he looks quite thin, I'm surprised he's lived this long to be honest. And- See, he did it again! Anyway, he looks no older the five….So, Potter, you have a son, do you?" Harry glared at Lawrence with dislike. _

"_Teddy's my godson. His parents died fighting in the Second Wizarding War. His dad was friends with my dad, and once, was my Defence Against The Dark Arts Teacher."_

"_Oh, and Harry, your hair's not much better." Lawrence said. Kreacher, who was standing behind Harry's chair, stiffened slightly. I knew that Kreacher didn't like people insulting his master. _

"_What's wrong with it?" Ginny and Teddy asked. Teddy sounded confused, while Ginny asked with in an icy tone. If looks could kill, Lawrence would have been dead by then._

"_It's messy, it sticks up at the back, I mean, you'd think that he lived on the streets as a hobo or something."_

"_I like my husbands hair," Ginny told him. Harry smiled at her, to which, she smiled back. "If he had different hair, say, by means of magic, I'd do every spell possible to get it back."_

"_I like Uncle Harry's hair! So does Victoire!" _

"_Victoire? What kind of name is that?" _

"_Victoire is our niece," I said. "She was born on the second anniversary of the battle, and her name means victory in French."_

"_And Harry's glasses…ugh."_

"_What's so 'Ugh' about them?" Ginny said, glaring at him. _

"_Uncle Harry let's me wear his sometimes, but they make my vision fuzzy." Teddy said._

"_Well, you don't see a lot of men who are married wearing glasses, you tend to think of them as being nerdy."_

"_My husband is not nerdy. He's handsome, and brave, and I wouldn't change a thing about him…__Especially__ his hair and glasses."_

"_Well, Miss Weasley-"_

"_My name's not 'Miss Weasley', it's Mrs Potter, or Ginny."_

"_Mrs Potter, in all fairness," Lawrence snorted snootily. "Harry probably doesn't have a lot of people who think like you do…."_

"_Are you saying that Harry only married me because nobody else would?" Ginny asked him icily, standing up._

"_Well, I guess the Weasley's are quite smart." Lawrence sneered. No one was eating Kreacher's delicious meal anymore. Harry stood up too._

"_Well, Lawrence, I think you'll find that, unlike Ginny and the rest of the Weasley's, you're the thickest git I've ever met." Harry told him, while Ron snorted. "Because, unlike you, everyone else in this room has manners, and can see that Ginny and I are not married because she's the only one who would say yes-"_

"_Are you sure about that?" Lawrence asked. _

"_Ginny and I aren't married because she was the only one who would say yes," Harry continued. "we're married because we love each other more then life itself, and I'd do anything to protect her." Ginny grabbed his hand and rested her head on his shoulder._

"_Lots of girls would of said yes if Harry asked them." I told him. Ron and Ginny raised an eyebrow at me, and Ron looked a little hurt, so I quickly added; "But not me, I don't love him like that. I love Ron as much as Harry loves Ginny."_

"_So, not a lot." Lawrence said, clearly enjoying himself. _

"_Listen here!" Ron shouted, jumping up at the same time as me. "That's below the belt!"_

"_If I didn't love him, I wouldn't be standing here, sticking up for him!" I yelled, clearly forgetting everything else. _

"_Well, I guarantee, Weasley," Lawrence sneered, getting up and spitting in Ron's face as he spoke. The sight made me feel sick. "I bet you that by the time you reach twenty five, she," he pointed to me, sneering. "will have left you. In fact, she probably only married you for two reasons; she didn't want to be alone when Potter married your sister over there, and second, she felt sorry for you."_

"_Wh-what are you talking about?" Ron asked weakly. _

"_I mean, you've been in love with her all your life, pining after her, and then, here we are." Lawrence turned to Harry. "And, as for you scar head, that woman probably married you for another reason altogether; She wants the gold in your vault at Gringotts."_

"_NO!" We all jumped and looked to wear Kreacher had been standing. He was now standing on the table. "You will not speak to Kreacher's Master like that! Harry Potter will not be insulted, not in front of Kreacher!" He looked ready to kill. Ginny looked ready to join him._

"_How dare you stand in our home," Ginny demanded, "Our" referring to her and Harry. She was truly looking like Mrs Weasley. "eat our food, comment on our looks and personal lives, criticise our best friends, our house elf, our five year old godson, and our homes? You have some nerve! You stand there and expect to live to tell the tale!"_

"_Why, Mrs Potter, what do you expect to do to me? You forget, I'm a wizard too. Oh, and the dress is a bit too short, even though you yourself are on the short side of things, even with the high heels on…" _

_In a moment of confusion, Kreacher had started screaming and Harry and Ron had drew there wands. _

"_NO!" Kreacher screamed. "NO! YOU WILL NOT INSULT MASTER POTTERS WIFE! YOU WILL NOT INSULT MY MISTRESS!" and he flung himself at Lawrence, knocking the wind out of him._

"_Kreacher!" Harry said loudly, in a commanding voice. "Get off him, even though he deserves whatever you plan to do to him…" Kreacher gave a scream but slowly moved off Lawrence. Harry put the tip of his wand to Lawrence's chest. _

"_I should hex you all the way into the next millennium for insulting my wife and family." Harry told him. "But I won't." _

"_It's because you're a coward! Wait until everyone hears this, the man who defeated You-Know-Who is a ruddy coward!" Lawrence laughed. Kreacher screamed again and lunged at Lawrence, strangling him. _

"_Kreacher!" Harry said. Teddy's mouth was open in astonishment. I saw Ginny reach over and put her arm around him. _

"_Aunt Ginny, Uncle Harry isn't a coward, is he?" Teddy asked, looking up and Ginny. His eyes were changing from blue to Harry's emerald green, and were filled with confusion. _

"_Of course not, Mr Lawrence is just being nasty to Uncle Harry." Ginny told him. _

_Teddy frowned. "But why would he be nasty?"_

"_Some people are just like that I'm afraid."_

_Kreacher started mumbling as he climbed off Lawrence. Teddy pulled away from Ginny and went to Harry._

"_Uncle Harry, can we have some Ice-Cream now?" Teddy asked. Harry looked down at Teddy and his expression softened a bit. _

"_OK Teddy, let me just let the man up." Harry pulled his wand away. "Because I'm a nice man, I'll give you another chance."_

"_WHAT!" Ron, Ginny and I yelled. _

"_Come on, just give the guy one more chance."_

_Harry nodded to Kreacher, who bowed and clicked his fingers. The plates we'd been eating off of vanished back into the kitchen._

"_What would Master Teddy like?" Kreacher asked the boy, who smiled. _

"_Ice-Cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles and whipped cream please!" Teddy told him. _

"_On second thought, Kreacher, fetch us all a bowl each." Harry told him. The elf bowed and vanished._

_Lawrence and Harry got up and returned to their seats, the atmosphere changed. It was all quiet. So Teddy decided to break the silence as we all sat back down. _

"_Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron," Teddy said to us. "Guess what Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny gave me!" Teddy slipped off his chair and into the Living Room, only to return moments later with a large leather-bound photo album. He opened it and Ron and I gasped. _

_Tonks and Remus were beaming out of the photo at us. "That's my mummy and daddy!" He squealed. We smiled as he turned the pages. Soon, we came across a photo of them, not long after Teddy had been born. Remus looked years younger, holding Teddy, and Tonks tickled him underneath the chin._

"_Can I have a look?" We all looked up. Lawrence was looking at us with that constant sneer on his face. _

"_Of course you can sir!" Teddy said, getting off Ginny's lap and walking towards Lawrence. I shot Harry a look, which Ginny, him and Ron returned. Lawrence picked up the album and looked at it, with an even bigger sneer appearing. _

"_These are your parents?" He asked. Teddy nodded proudly. "Your father looks old enough to be your granddad." Teddy frowned. We all frowned worriedly. Teddy often did accidental magic nowadays when he was angry or upset. _

"_No, he's my dad." Teddy said, as Tonk's hair changed from blue to bubblegum pink. "Uncle Harry said that my dad was brave, and that he was fighting for a better world for me to grow up in when he died. He told me that my mum did too, and that they loved me." We all smiled a little. _

"_Well, your mother looks a lot younger then your father, I'd say that your father looks unhappy."_

"_Actually," I said, clearing my throat loudly. "Tonks and Remus were very happy together, so happy in fact that they turned that into a baby. I mean," I started saying quickly at the looks I'd earned. "When people are happy together, God chooses to give them a baby." Ron grinned. _

"_Yes, well, your mother seems to look unhappy too, stuck with a man years older then herself." Teddy began to look upset. I knew what Lawrence was doing. _

"_Teddy," He looked up as I spoke. "I can tell you something, your mother and father loved each other very much, but they were in a battle, so they were a bit sad because people were dying. I remember, your father was worried that, because he had a special….gift, well, it might be too dangerous, that's all." He nodded. I turned to Lawrence. "And you, well, why don't you stop making up excuses to make the poor boy upset, he's only five. Teddy, why don't you tell us about your time at Shell Cottage with Victoire."_

_About five minutes later Kreacher turned up with a tray with five bowls of ice-cream on it._

"_One for Master Teddy, one for Master Harry Potter, this one for mistress Ginny Potter, one for Mr Weasley and one for Mrs Weasley." Kreacher said, handing the bowl out. _

"_What about Mr. Lawrence?" Teddy asked, clearly forgetting what had happened. _

"_Master Kreacher must of forgotten to make another bowl, and the Ice-Cream is all gone now Master Teddy." Kreacher said, although he was smiling a little. Ron and I grinned._

_

* * *

_

Later on, I was standing outside the front of Grimmauld Place, drinking some Firewhiskey, watching the stars while everyone was inside, when Lawrence came out.

"_What do you want Lawrence?" I asked, rather rudely, although I'm never rude normally. _

"_I wanted to know why you married Blood-Traitor Weasley. He's poor, too much red hair and you could do so much better."_

"_It's cold, I'm going inside." I said, shivering a little, as I stepped back into Grimmauld Place. Ron walked down the hall. He was carrying a sleeping Teddy. _

"_Fell asleep on the floor talking to Kreacher, bless him. I'm just going to bring him up to his room." He told me. "Want to come with me?" I nodded, anything to get rid of Lawrence. _

_Teddy slept in the room where Ginny and I used to sleep just before fifth year. Harry had kept two beds in there as Teddy had Victoire sleep round often. Ron laid Teddy down gently on the bed and pulled the bed clothes over him, being careful not to wake him. As Teddy breathed in and out, his hair changed colour (Black, Brown, Red, Blue, Pink, Green, so on, so on), and his mouth formed a small smile as he slept peacefully. I smiled at Ron, who tucked him in properly and lead me out quietly. _

_When we got back downstairs, Harry, Ginny and Lawrence were arguing. _

"_How dare you talk about my godson like that?" Harry asked, so angrily he didn't sound like himself. _

"_It's the truth Potter, I mean, you were literally saddled with him…" Lawrence told him. _

"_How Dare you?" Ginny asked. _

"_He's not your son though Mrs Potter." Lawrence sneered. _

"_He's as good as!" Ginny said, using the words Molly had used years ago. "Harry and I have raised him like our own, and that's good enough! He's happy, well cared for and has a loving godfather!"_

"_Kreacher, can you please escort Mr Lawrence out of the house, and not come back until you do." Harry ordered the house elf._

"_Yes, Master Potter." Kreacher replied, bowing. He grabbed Lawrence's hand and pulled him towards the door. As they passed us, Lawrence sneered at Ron again. _

"_Well Weasley, the one good thing I can say about you is that you have a super hot sister, and that you have a great taste when it comes to wives." He said. "But just remember, soon, she'll leave you for somebody richer-"_

"_Don't listen to him Ron!" I told him furiously. Lawrence ignored me._

"_Well, Goodbye Weasley. Oh, and Mrs Weasley, if I may say so, you have perfect looking legs, and your body…well, I'll be fantasising about you tonight…"_

"_How dare you talk to my wife like that?" Ron demanded, looking furious. "How bloody dare you? Get out of my mates house!" Lawrence stared at him. _

"_You'll lose your job Weasley, you mark my words, and your wife will be mine."_

"_I'd rather be run through with a swordfish then be yours!" I snapped at him. "I'm sure that any woman would rather date a Giant Squid or a Dementor than even sit in the same room as you."_

_Lawrence gave Ron and Harry a scathing look and allowed himself to be lead away by Kreacher._

_End of Flashback_

"What did he do this time Ron?" I asked.

"Started saying about how it's my fault we can't have a kid." Ron mumbled.

"But I'm pregnant, aren't I?" I told him, snuggling into him.

"Yeah, but we've lost two already…."

"They were no ones fault, trust me, the first time, it was them horrible men's fault, and the second, well, it happens all the time."

"He also started saying about how St. Mungo's sick of us being there…."

"Ron, don't be ridiculous, he's just jealous, Lawrence is just so jealous that he wants to make you unhappy."

"Love you Hermione." He yawned.

"Love you too Ron." I told him, watching him fall asleep.

**Sorry about the length of the chapter, but I had writers block and then I had so many ideas flooding into my brain, so I had to put this in! My longest chapter :) By the way, I know that this is a really mushy story, but let's face it, Ron and Hermione are in Love! And I know that Mr and Mrs Granger would of been extremely pleased anyway, but there's loads more chapters, each with flashbacks explaining everything!**

**Once again, read and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Where's Harry?" I asked Ginny quietly. She looked at the clock and turned back to me.

"He'll be on his way back from work now with Ron."

It was the 31st July, Harry's birthday, and Ginny and I were preparing for Harry's birthday treat; A surprise party. Ron had been in on the secret, but was forbidden to tell Harry anything.

James and Teddy were on the floor in the Living Room. James was chewing a wooden toy block and Teddy was colouring in a picture book I'd brought him to keep him entertained while Ginny and I busied around 12 Grimmauld Place, making Harry's favourite foods and sweets, making his birthday cake and wrapping his presents. Ron and I had gotten him a new Firebolt- Harry had lost his other one during the battle over Little Whinging, and had been too preoccupied after Voldermort's death to think of anything else. Ginny hadn't told me what she'd gotten him yet.

We had just finished putting everything together when we heard a person apparating into the Hallway.

"UNCLE RON!" Teddy yelled, flying to greet him. "Where's Uncle Harry?"

"He'll be here in a minute." Ron told him. He turned to me and Ginny. "We don't have long, he'll be here in a minute, I managed to ditch him when I left him with my mum, who said that she and everyone else would come and join later, when everyone else is back from work." We nodded. Ginny went and picked up James from the floor, cradling him when he protested with a cry. Ron and I grabbed Teddy's hands and waited. Soon enough, Harry appeared in the Hall, looking around confused.

"Ginny? Teddy! Ron, Hermione!" He shouted. Slowly, he turned around and came in.

"Happy Birthday mate." Ron said, as Harry looked around, stunned by all the food and cakes.

"What-? How did you-?" He stuttered. Teddy laughed and went to hug Harry, who picked him up.

"Happy Birthday Uncle Harry!"

"Happy Birthday Harry!" Ginny and I said, giving him a hug while he balanced Teddy in his arms.

"Well, go on then, open your presents!" Teddy said.

"Give me time to breath Ted!" Harry joked, but he went and picked up the present that Ron and I had brought him. "You know, this looks suspiciously like a broom…" I laughed.

"Just open it!" I said. He grinned and put Teddy down. He slowly tore the paper off and gasped.

"A Firebolt?" He asked. "You brought me a Firebolt?"

"You're really good at flying, mate, I was hoping that one day we could go out into me and Hermione's back garden, you know, which we turned into a Quidditch Pitch…." Ron told him.

"And play two-on-two, yeah!" Harry finished. "Thanks Guys!"

Harry opened the rest of his presents. Other then his new Firebolt, he received a pair of boxers, a new shaving razor (His old one was…..well, quite old.), some cologne and much more.

"Thanks Gin!" Harry said, holding up a pair of Quidditch gloves.

"Well, Hermione's gift is kind of along with them, you know, co-ordinated." Ginny told him, making Harry grin more.

"Thanks Guys for the presents! Ron, Hermione, how did you manage to buy me a Firebolt without me knowing?"

"Well, you and Ginny seemed busy taking care of James." I told him. "And you and Ron have constantly been at work…."

"How did she find out about that?" Harry whispered to Ron. Ginny stiffened a little.

"So it's true?" She asked, looking both shocked and angry. "Harry, you told me that _I _was the one tired, and that I must have been going mental.."

"Gin, I'm fine, really." Harry said, going red.

"Ron's had to take days off because he couldn't get out of bed." I commented. Ginny looked even more shocked.

"Anyway," Harry said quickly. "Lawrence has been causing more grief."

"What's he been doing?" Ginny and I asked in unison, looking at each other.

Harry and Ron shot each other looks.

"We'll talk to you both about it later. Separately." Harry added after an afterthought. Ginny and I shot looks at each other. "So, why don't we sit and eat some of this delicious looking food? Made by my beautiful wife." Harry added quickly. I giggled.

Ginny's cooking was, thank God, better then Harry's. Kreacher came and joined us about halfway through my fifth Pumpkin Pastry (I was pregnant, cut me some slack!). He bowed at us and picked up James.

"Would Kreacher's Master like Kreacher to take Master James up to bed for a nap?" He asked, giving a large cough afterwards.

"Sure Kreacher, he looks tired." Harry said kindly. Kreacher bowed once again and gave a large hacking cough before Disapparating.

"Kreacher doesn't look very well Harry." I told him. Harry sighed sadly.

"I know, Ginny and I are hoping that he'll live long enough to help with the second baby at the very least, although we want him to live longer then that." Harry told us, while Ginny reached for another Cauldron Cake, although she had a sad look on her face.

"I was thinking that maybe we could hire another elf to help him look after the house…" Ginny told us, while Harry shook his head.

"Knowing Kreacher, he wouldn't allow it," Harry told her, while Ron and I nodded in agreement.

"It was just an idea." Ginny told him.

"Uncle Harry?" Teddy asked. He was eating a Chocolate Frog, which was all round his face. We all looked over to him. "Will Kreacher die?" His face looked worried. Ron put an arm around him.

"Of course he won't," Ron told him, wiping Teddy's face with his work robe's sleeve. "He's just got a cold-"

"But it's Summer." Teddy pointed out, tears forming in his eyes.

"Ted, Hermione gets colds in Summer-"

"Thanks for telling him that." I said sarcastically.

"I get colds, you had colds, it's just like that. Kreacher wouldn't go anywhere, even if you told him to get lost." Teddy laughed. "Listen, you know Hermione and I got you that toy broom for Christmas?" He nodded. "Well, why don't we, just you and me, go for a fly one day in my garden, we can even play a little game of Quidditch if you want."

"Yeah! Thanks Uncle Ron!" Teddy said, his hair turning to blue, to pink, to red, to green, to white, to blonde….. "Harry took me once but I crashed into the ground!"

"That's only because you were showing off in front of Victoire." Harry said.

"You see, I tried to do this trick called the….what is it? The Wr-" Teddy asked.

"Wonky Faint?" I asked, as Ron, who was drinking some Butterbeer, snorted and got half of it up his nose.

"Wonky Faint?" He asked, smirking. "Do you mean the _Wronski Feint_?"

"Yeah, that." I said, blushing, while Ron muttered something like "Wonky Faint indeed."

"Yeah that! The Wronski Feint! Anyway, I tried to do the Wronski Feint thing to impress Victoire and Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill, but I couldn't pull up fast enough and I broke my arm!" Teddy said, lifting up a perfectly fine right arm. "But it's better now."

* * *

August rolled around without much happening. Ginny's birthday was next, but it started getting harder to ask her what she wanted, as she and Harry had decided to go on holiday. You see, Ginny had become very stressed, and had literally kicked Harry out of 12 Grimmauld Place after a very heated argument, and told him never to come back, so we told him to come round ours. Just two hours later, Ginny knocked on our door, red eyed and crying, asking if Harry could come back. So, Harry decided to take a little family holiday with her and James. He told us that he was going to leave Teddy with Andromeda, as she barely ever saw him. He asked us to just check up on Kreacher often though, to check that he was still breathing.

One day, just after Harry, Ginny and James had left, Ron and I decided, as it was a Sunday, and Ron and I didn't have to work on a Sunday unless it was an emergency, to have a lie in, as once again, Ron had come home late. Extremely late. One o' clock in the morning late. So I decided to let Ron sleep and just lay there, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

_Flashback_

"_No Ron." I told him sternly. He frowned. _

"_Well, why not?"_

"_Ron! I am not leaving out Viktor or Lavender, I shared a Dormitory with her!" _

"_Fine, but I'm not speaking to her-"_

"_I never said that you had to!" _

"_I'm not inviting Krum!"_

"_Oh for God's sake! Ron, I'm marrying you! Viktor is not going to steal me away!"_

"_And you're sure of that, are you?"_

"_Yes!" I sighed. "Anyway, that was years ago! I never went to Bulgaria, did I?"_

"_No, but-"_

"_Ron, we're inviting him, and that is that!" _

"_But, just say he does try-"_

"_He's accepted that I've moved on!"_

"_Really?"_

"_Yes! I wrote him and told him the very day that you proposed that I was getting married!"_

"_Oh, er, OK."_

_Here we were, two weeks after being engaged and already arguing about something stupid, in this instance, our guest list. _

_I sighed. "So, Harry's best man?" _

"_Yeah, Ginny's your maid of Honour?"_

"_Yes." There was an awkward silence for a while, before I sighed._

"_I was thinking-" I started._

"_As you always do, because you're Hermione Granger-"_

"_Correction, Hermione Weasley. Well, soon I will be." He grinned at me. "Anyway, I was thinking that, well, we're in March now, so, I think that our wedding should be in September, you know, on 1__st__ September, when we-"_

"_When we first met," Ron finished. "Although, we technically weren't friends until 31__st__ October-"_

"_We're not getting married on Halloween Ron." I said to him. _

"_I know, I know."_

"_What about 2__nd__ May? You know, when we first kissed?"_

"_Ron, we're in March now, May is just months away-"_

"_So, we can do it, if we work hard."_

"_I don't know Ron…"_

"_Or, we could do it next year if you want." I looked into Ron's eyes. _

"_No, it should be a little sooner. Before Christmas maybe." _

_In the kitchen, the radio was on. A song came on, and I felt myself smile. It was My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion._

"_Ron," I whispered, cupping his face. "Let's dance."_

"_But I have two left feet-"_

"_Well, we need to practice then."_

_Ron lifted me to my feet and put one hand round my waist and the other took my hand in his. I grasped it tightly and put one hand on his shoulder. We began to move around the flat slowly, Ron being careful not to tread on my feet, and me trying to savour the moment. _

"_Love you Ron."_

"_Yeah, love you too Hermione."_

_When the song ended, we didn't stop dancing. It was as if we couldn't stop. Never. _

"_Wanna watch Titanic?" I asked. _

"_Yeah, go on then. After we've danced a bit more." I giggled. Ron didn't seem to have two left feet now. Maybe it was just because he'd never wanted to dance until now, now that I was with him. _

"_What were we arguing about a few minutes ago?" I asked as he twirled me. _

"_Guest lists and dates."_

"_Oh, now I remember." He took me into his arms again. "I knew it was something completely stupid and pointless."_

"_Like always."_

"_Yes, like always."_

"_But we always solve it."_

"_Eventually."_

_As more songs came on the radio, our dance became less complex, and more enjoyable. _

"_Thanks for not stepping on my feet." I commented._

"_Oh, yeah, thanks."_

"_What song are we going to dance to on our wedding day?"_

"_Dunno, My Heart Will Go On?"_

"_Maybe."_

_At that exact minute, "When you say nothing at all" came onto the radio._

"_What about that?" He asked. _

"_Perfect." I told him, kissing his nose. _

"_It really, just, explains how I feel, you know what I mean?"_

"_Of course I do. Why do you think I said yes?"_

"_To the song or the Proposal?"_

"_Both."_

"_Oh, er, I Dunno-"_

"_Because that's how I feel about you, seriously, you can be so thick at times Ron."_

"_I know."_

"_But that's what makes you my Ron. If you were too smart, you'd be too boring."_

"_What's life without a few incidents?"_

"_Exactly."_

_We spinned and twirled for hours on end, until our legs hurt too much to stand._

"_Let's get back to Wedding planning." I told him. _

"_Yeah, OK."_

_We sat back down at the table in the kitchen._

"_So, we've decided the Wedding Song," I said, scribbling stuff down on a spare bit of parchment. "now, let's get back to guest lists; who are you inviting?"_

"_Well, mum, dad, Bill, Charlie, I suppose Percy, George, Ginny, Harry, Fleur-"_

"_Do we really have to invite her?" I asked._

"_But you like her now!" _

"_I know, but, it's just, she might distract some of the male guests…"_

"_Oh, OK. Anyway; Fleur, Angelina, Audrey, Auntie Muriel-"_

"_Muriel? That old bat?"_

"_She's family, I've got no bloody choice Hermione!"_

"_Oh, OK. Well, we'll basically invite the whole Weasley family, right?"_

"_Oh, and Teddy and Andromeda!" _

"_Of course. Well, I'll invite my parents, afterall, dad has to give me away, my cousin Harley, my Aunt Amelia, my grandmother Shirley…."_

_The lists went on like that. _

_End of Flashback_

Ron yawned in his sleep. I looked up and saw his lips forming words again. I smiled. He usually formed my name in his sleep, if not, some very…..well, embarrassing stuff about our relationship…..

I stroked my tummy and lay there, listening to my own breathing as well as Ron's. I was now five months pregnant. Little bloated, but nothing too major.

Soon would be our Anniversary; in the end, we settled for 2nd May the next year, as it gave us a year to plan, find Ron's dress robes (new this time, not like the ones at the Yule Ball), my dress, Ginny's dress, Fleur's dress (Let's face it, she made a beautiful bridesmaid), Angelina's dress (she's quite a nice looking bridesmaid too), find Harry's dress robes, my dad some dress robes (He was very excited to wear some dress robes), my mother some dress robes (I wanted her to fit in with the wizards there), although I decided it was best not to buy my other family them, as they would probably never wear them anyway. It also gave us some time to sort out the venue (Molly insisted that we used the Burrow, like Bill and Fleur), the reception(also, The Burrow), the food (Some from the Wizarding World, others from the Muggle world), the band (Ron insisted a band instead of a DJ after our First Dance), the songs they would play (My family would never recognise any of the bands songs, so we had to get them to play some popular muggle songs), the Honeymoon (We ended up booking a week in Paris, after I told Ron that it was meant to be the city of Love) and the Minister who'd marry us (Who was the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt). Oh, and I insisted that the bridesmaids and I had flowers, and that George did that trick with the golden balloons when they burst open and caused such a beautiful show.

When Ron woke up, I suddenly remembered something.

"Ron?" I asked. He nodded sleepily to say that he was listening. "What did Lawrence say the other day? On Harry's birthday?"

Ron's eyes shot open and he sighed.

"You don't want to know."

"Yes I do." He sighed and didn't look at me for a while.

"Alright," He said finally. "I'll tell you. We were interrogating this Death Eater, big bloke that Harry and I got. Anyway, first, Lawrence just sits in the corner, looking at his hands, the git, and then he stood up and said that he was going to help us. We weren't doing very well at getting any information. So he pulled out his wand and..." Ron trailed off.

"Tell me." I told him gently.

"He pulled out his wand and used the Killing Curse on him." We both shuddered.

"But that's illegal!"

"So? It didn't seem to bother him. We started shouting at him, telling him to bugger off, when he just walked out and said to me; "Oh, and Weasley, your wife's looking really pretty lately, I can't wait to go home and start fantisising her in a nice short dress." And he just left! So I sent him a Stunner, which he bloody deserved, and I was about to kill him myself when Harry stopped me."

"You should just ignore him Ron." Although on the inside, I was shaking.

"I can't Hermione! One day, I swear I'll kill him, if Harry doesn't. Now, I'm starved, and I'm pretty sure the baby in your stomach is too. Can we get something to eat?" I laughed.

"Sure, I'm starved too."


	9. Chapter 9

**Here's another chapter! By the way, the only reason that I'm updating it now is because I got today off from school because of the snow! Let it snow!**

**By the way, the begining of the story was set in 2004, but the year that they're in now is 2005 (Obviously). **

Chapter 9

When I came home from work the next week, Ron was already home, which was odd.

"Why are you home so early?" I asked, taking off my coat (which seemed to be shrinking).

"Harry said I finished all of the paperwork I had today." He said, grinning. Then I had a proper look at our Living Room.

The curtains were closed. The only light was from a lit candle, making the room look cosy and warm. Ron came and stood behind me, putting his arms around my waist.

"Nice?"

"Oh," I breathed. "Yes."

"Happy-almost-Birthday."

"But, my birthday's a month away!"

"Hence the "Almost" bit."

"Oh Ron…..It's just…..so lovely that you did this!"

"Shows how much I love you."

This was one of the many (There were like a thousand) reasons I loved him; he was so romantic.

_Flashback_

_This was it, our wedding day. The day I became Mrs. Weasley, like Fleur and Angelina and all of my other sister in law's …_

_Ginny was standing there, wearing a gold satin dress with a red sash. _

"_Just one hour to go." She told me. I nodded and stared into the mirror. I was having my hair done for the wedding by a hairdresser before put my dress, shoes and a tiny amount make-up. _

"_Ginny, trust me, you all look amazing." I said as she started checking herself in the mirror next to me. She smiled._

"_Thanks. The other two are having their picture's taken now downstairs, but I'm going to wait until you're ready." I nodded. Fleur and Angelina were looking pretty amazing too, and, like Ginny, were wearing gold dresses with red sashes, but I still thought that Ginny had a certain beauty about her. _

"_Alright, I think that I'm done." The hairdresser said, standing back and smiling. "Take a look.""Wow, Hermione, Ron will literally run down the aisle to get you!" Ginny said approvingly. I looked and my mouth fell open. _

_My hair was no longer terribly bushy; It was just curly now. My hair was cascading down my shoulders and I didn't recognise myself._

"_Wow." I said. Ginny smiled. _

"_Well, let's put on your dress and get downstairs to take pictures." Ginny said. _

_After Ginny had helped me into my dress (Luckily, I wasn't like Ron, and ate constantly, so it still fit fine) and I'd added my shoes and a little blusher, Ginny and I walked down the stairs where the other bridesmaids and the photographer were waiting. _

"_And the bride had emerged!" He shouted, shooting photo's at me. My parents were also downstairs, my father in the new dress robes I'd bought him in Diagon Alley, and my mother was in blue dress robes that Ron had brought her (He'd insisted), just like the ones that Molly was wearing._

"_Oh my…..Hermione, you look stunning!" My mother said, kissing me quickly on the cheek. _

"_Thanks." I said, blushing. _

"'_Ermione, you look amazing." Fleur said throatily, her blonde hair surrounding her like a sheet. I blushed even deeper red. That meant a lot, coming from Fleur, my future sister-in-law, who was, of course, a quarter Veela._

"_Thank you Fleur." I said. _

"_Ron will not be able to keep 'is 'ands off you!"_

_Molly came in, wearing her best dress robes._

"_Are we ready then?" She asked us all as the photographer began to pack up._

"_When you are." I gulped. Molly smiled at me. _

"_Right, girls, you walk in when the music starts, just remember that, OK?" We all nodded as Molly turned away and walked into the garden, up the path and into the marquee, which was very similar to the one that Bill and Fleur had. _

_We followed Molly into the garden and waited outside. _

"_Well, I better go and take my seat, Good Luck dear." My mother said stroking my cheek, before going into the Marquee. _

"_You'll be fine, the worse that could happen is that Ron will walk away, pick you up in the middle of the aisle and run off with you while we're still walking." Ginny said, while everyone else nodded. _

_Then the music started. _

_I grabbed my dad's arm as Ginny, Angelina and Fleur began to walk in, just a foot or two ahead of me. Then my dad steered me into the tent. _

_Ginny and the other bridesmaids seemed to glide down the aisle, all eyes on them first, but then, they turned to me. Ron was staring at me in awe, as if I was the prettiest witch in the whole world. He was dressed in his new dress robes and was grinning so widely that I thought his face must of hurt. When I reached him, I gave him a large smile and we turned to the priest, who was that same tufty haired wizard who did Dumbledore's funeral and Bill and Fleurs wedding. _

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls….."_

_Ron and I couldn't stop smiling at each other, and we were both finding it difficult to concentrate on the tufty haired wizards speech. _

"_Do you, Ronald Billius, take Hermione Jean to be your wife…?" I lost track of the conversation for a moment as Ron turned to me, his eyes shining. _

"_I do." He said suddenly. I smiled and began to listen to the tufty haired wizard the best I could. _

"_And do you, Hermione Jean, take Ronald Billius to be your husband…?"_

_Molly and my own mother were both crying into Handkerchiefs quietly, and I turned back to Ron. I stared into his gorgeous blue eyes and smiled. _

"_I do." I said when the wizard had finished talking. _

"_Then I declare you bonded for life." The wizard beamed, waving his wand and suddenly, the balloons that George had tied above us burst and little birds flew around us, as the sparks from the wizards wand fell onto our hands, our fingers entwined tightly. _

_Soon, much like Bill and Fleur's wedding, everyone was crowding around us, wanting to get a good look at us, most of them from Ron's side of the family, who all had red hair, the Weasley's among them. _

"_Congratulations dear!" Molly said when she reached us, giving me a tight hug. _

"_Welcome to the family Hermione!" Arthur said, giving me a fatherly hug too. _

"_Thank you Molly, Arthur." I said. They smiled at us. _

"_You can call us mum and dad if you want Hermione." Molly said, stroking my curls._

"_Thanks Mo-I mean, mum." I said quickly. "Thanks for lending me your dress, it's just gorgeous."_

"_Oh, thank you, I always thought of it as being s bit old…."_

"_Old? It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen! Plus, I didn't have to go looking for the perfect one when it was sitting in your wardrobe." Molly blushed._

"_Oh! Thank you!" She said. _

_Soon Harry, Ginny and Teddy came over to greet us, accompanied by Andromeda._

"_Congratulations!" Andromeda said, holding a two year old Teddy, who smiled up at us shyly. Back then, he didn't like to talk, not a lot. "Mr and Mrs Weasley!"_

"_Thanks!" I said, while Ron's grin was so large that I was surprised that his face didn't fall off._

_After everybody had congratulated us, Ron and I took to the Dance floor (Which had really just appeared) to have our first dance. _

"_Sorry if I step on your feet." Ron said, going a little red as everyone backed off so that we were alone. I went red too._

"_It's OK, I might step on your foot too, I'm so nervous, dancing's never been my strong point."_

"_Mine neither."_

_The music started. We both took a deep breath and started to slowly dance to When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating. I loved this song, it showed how much a person could love you. _

_I smiled up at Ron, who smiled back down at me. God, he has such a beautiful smile…_

_He bent down a little and kissed the top of my head, before spinning me round, making me giggle a little. _

_Suddenly, Ron's arms were tightly around me, and I snuggled into him. _

_As the song ended, I leant up and we kissed in the middle of the Dance floor. Everyone around us applauded loudly, George even wolf whistled. When I looked around, My mother and father were dancing, Ron's parents were dancing, Harry and Ginny were dancing, Andromeda was doing a little dance with Teddy in the corner, Bill and Fleur were dancing, other couples included my other relatives and the Weasley's. I smiled round at them all, before looking up at Ron._

"_I really do love you Ron." I said._

"_I know, that's why you married me, remember?" He said, grinning as we danced some more. _

"_Yes, Ronald, I was there, remember? I was the one in the white dress who walked down the aisle with the bridesmaid's."_

"_Oh, you mean the beautiful one with the brown curls? I remember her, she was stunning."_

"_Yes, she was." I smiled as he leant down to kiss me again. _

_The night was exactly perfect, even George didn't muck it up by testing some more products for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The food and drink was amazing, the waiters were all so cheerful and polite, the band was always in full swing, even when they had to play Muggle music, the guests were all having fun, and, best of all, Ron and I danced the Evening away in each other's arms. _

_By midnight, everyone was quite, well, drunk. Even Harry had drunk a bit, and was close to fatigue. Teddy had fallen asleep already, and so had most of my family, especially my very old grandparents. _

"_You tired yet Hermione?" Ron whispered in my ear while we were still dancing._

"_No." I whispered back. This was a conversation meant just for us and no one else. "Are you?"_

"_No. I don't want to ever go to sleep."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because no dream can compare to reality, it's just too good." I kissed him gently on the lips and we stayed like that for a while. When we finally broke away, I realised that we, Harry and Ginny, Molly and Arthur, Bill and Fleur, and then George and Angelina were the only people left on the dance floor. All of the couples were gazing at each other intently. I smiled at my family. _

_End of Flashback_

"Oh Ron." I said.

"And I made dinner."

"OK, bring out the train wreck of a dinner."

"OI! I can cook!"

"Yeah, toast."

"My mum taught me!"

"I was joking Ron, I'm sure that your dinner's lovely."

* * *

September seemed to come too quickly. As it drew nearer, so did my birthday-the day I was dreading.

"Come on Hermione, everyone loves their birthday." Ron said to me when I sighed.

"Not me, I'll be twenty six!" I told Ron.

"So? So will I."

"In March!"

"Oh well!"

"I just feel so old Ron."

"You're not Hermione, old is mum's age."

"Don't let her hear you say that Ron."

"I won't. But I'm right."

"I know. For once."

"I've been right before!"

"Not that often."

"OI!"

"I'm kidding Ron."

It was probably just the hormones talking. My stomach was nice and round by now, and I was beginning to feel really fat, even though I shouldn't of.

But before my birthday, we had to get through James's first birthday. Ginny had insisted that we had a little birthday tea with the family to celebrate.

"That year has gone by so fast." I told Ginny a few days before James's birthday in the kitchen in Grimmauld Place.

"I know. It's hard to believe that there's another on the way." Ginny said, rubbing her six month pregnant stomach. Like mine, the baby was very big and lively.

"So, you went for a scan with Harry last week." I said. She nodded.

"I found out that we're having another boy."

"Oh Ginny! That's wonderful!" I said. "Congratulations." She smiled, but she still looked a little down. "What is it Ginny?"

"I think that I've inherited the dreaded Weasley curse." She said. "I mean, I'm pleased, nonetheless, but one day I want a little girl."

"Maybe one day you'll have one." I told her, reaching across the table and grasping her hand.

"So, are you having a boy or girl?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know, we haven't asked yet." I said.

"So, if we both have boys...Do you know what that means?" she asked. I nodded. "Maybe Ron got the curse as well."

**Read and Review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again, faithful readers!**

**Thank you for all the reviews and such, that's what makes me write more! **

Chapter 10

"BLOODY HELL!" I jolted awake. Ron was being pecked by an owl.

"Ron! Don't swear!" I scolded, gently grabbing the bird and pulling the note off his leg. "It's 2am!"

"So? The bloody bird flew through the window and pecked me awake! Hey, what's the note?"

I opened the bit of parchment and read the scribbled writing:

_Ron, Hermione, _

_Ginny's gone into labour! We've owled Molly and the Weasley's already, but can you come to St Mungo's as quickly as possible? _

_Harry_

"Ginny's gone into labour!" I told Ron who was looking at me questionably.

"You're kidding!" He said.

"No, I'm not Ron!" I told him. We both jumped out of bed and began to pack hurriedly.

"What do we need?" Ron asked.

"Just pack a pair of pyjama's, a toothbrush, some clothes…just pack!"

When we were done, Ron and I flooed to St Mungo's. When we arrived there, we immediately went to the front desk.

"Where are Mr and Mrs Potter staying? We're family." I told the witch at the desk. She looked surprised but said; "Down the hall, take a left and then the first door you find."

"Thank you!" I said, already running with Ron quite close behind.

"Hermione! I didn't know that you could run this fast!" Ron panted.

"This is an emergency Ronald!" I said, frowning while my hair flew behind me.

Eventually, we reached the room. Ginny and Harry were surrounded by all of the Weasley's.

"Hermione, Ron!" Molly beckoned to us. We rushed over to the bed.

Ginny was panting.

"Come on Gin, come on, you need to push!" Harry said encouragingly. Ginny shook her head.

"I can't Harry, it hurts too much!" Ginny said, half sobbing.

"Oh, Ginny, you can do it!" Molly said. Ginny shook her head.

A healer came in. "What did I say when I was last in here? Only a few people at a time besides the husband!"

"Molly, you stay here, she needs you." Arthur said before turning to his sons. "All of you, out."

"But dad!" George said. "We're her brothers!"

"Sorry, but only Hermione stays in here."

"And me." Ron said.

"No, just Hermione."

"But dad-"

"No Ron, I only want your mother and Hermione in here."

"What?" Ron protested.

"That's totally unfair!" George yelled.

"Boys." Molly said sternly. The boys looked like they were going to protest but shuffled out nonetheless.

"Ginny," I told her, as she was panting heavily. "You'll be fine, I promise. You've done this before."

"I know." Ginny said. "It's just- so- bloody- painful!"

"Ginny dear, you can do it." Molly said. "I did it seven times."

"How?" Ginny asked, closing her eyes tightly.

"I just thought about the baby's face when I met them, and that kept me pushing."

"What?"

"Yes. I tried to imagine if they'd have red hair-"

"Obviously yes." I said.

"Or if they had blue eyes, or brown, or if they had freckles-"

"Again, obviously yes."

"Hermione, please don't take this the wrong way, but shut up." Ginny said.

"Or if they were a boy or a girl-"

"Mainly boys." I said. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

"So, should I imagine what my baby looks like?" Ginny asked. We nodded. "I'm thinking Harry."

"Do you really want him to look like me Gin?" Harry asked.

"Yes, you're good looking." Ginny squeezed her eyes shut and breathed deeply, before pushing.

"Oh good, the heads coming." The Healer said, grabbing a fluffy towel and turning to me. "Deary, would you mind filling that metal tub by the wall with water?"

"I'll do it, keep me busy." Molly said, bustling past me. I turned to Ginny.

"Does it hurt too much?" I asked worriedly.

"No, it just…..It hits you a little unexpectedly." Ginny said, sensing my worry. "The heads the worst part I suppose, it's one of the biggest parts." I nodded and rubbed my aching belly. I went and sat down.

"Tired?" Ginny asked. I nodded. "Yeah, that happens, you can't be on your feet for more then five minutes."

Five minutes later, Ginny gave a scream and pushed. I covered my ears with my hands. Then, it was over.

"Congratulations Mr and Mrs Potter, you have a healthy little boy." The Healer said, holding a little squealing bundle of blankets and towels. "Do you want to see him?"

"Yes please." Ginny said weakly, holding her arms out. "Hermione, come look."

I carefully walked round to where Molly and Harry were gathered, smiling.

The baby was so gorgeous. His face was a little wrinkled, and his features were so pristine, so small; his mouth was small, his nose was small, everything was small. And on top of his head was a tuft of jet black hair.

"Oh Harry!" I said. "He looks just like you!"

"But his eyes are blue!" Ginny said, smiling, and sure enough, the baby opened his eyes and a pair of blue eyes stared up at us.

"But most babies are born with blue eyes, and they're eye colour might change due to light exposure." I said, with an _As a matter of fact_ tone. "I read it in a parenting book."

"Oh, Hermione," Molly said, smiling. "There are some things that you can't learn in a book, parenting is one of them."

"I'll go and fetch the rest of your family Mrs Potter." The Healer said.

The baby yawned and snuggled in to the warmth of Ginny's chest.

Ron and the rest of the Weasley's came in. Ron smiled at me and stood next to me to look at the baby.

"What are you going to name him Ginny?" Ron asked.

Harry and Ginny smiled at each other.

"Well, we had a few ideas." Harry said. "We were thinking Albus."

"You mean like Professor Dumbledore?" I asked.

"Yeah. Albus Severus Potter."

"Why would you want to name your son after Snape?" Ron asked.

"Because Snape, deep down, way deep down, was a good man, one of the greatest headmaster's of Hogwarts." Harry said.

"And we made an agreement that Harry would name him." Ginny said.

"But Ginny's naming the next one."

"Who says I'm having another one?" Ginny asked.

"With the Weasley Fertility thing, I'd say you are." George said, grinning. Molly scolded him.

"George, don't talk like that around your younger sister." Molly said.

Albus, as he was named, opened his eyes again, and there they were; green eyes. Harry's eyes.

"Whoa." Ron said, mouth open. "He looks just like Harry!"

"He does!" I said.

* * *

A week later, on 22nd December 2005, I woke up in bed.

"Owwww…..." I moaned. I rubbed my, now really sore, belly. Another pain hit me so I shook Ron awake.

"Wh-what's going on?" He asked sleepily.

"I-I think it's time!" I told him. He shook himself awake and sat up.

"What? You're joking!"

"I am not Ronald!" I practically yelled. I heaved myself out of bed and staggered to lean on the dressing table. "Ron….I need to get to St Mungo's!"

"R-right!"

I heard Ron fall out of the bed.

"Ouch, that hurt!" He complained.

"Well How do you think I feel!" I snapped.

"Oh, sorry Hermione." Ron said, standing up. "I'm fine, really." I just glared at him.

"Just take me to St Mungo's." I told him icily. He nodded quickly.

"Right, let me just pack you an overnight bag and then we'll Floo there!"

"HURRY!" The contractions were making me worried and cranky; I didn't want to give birth in my house…..I wanted to that with Ron and The Healers at St Mungo's…..

"Right, come on…..Do you want me to carry you?"

"I'M FINE!" I yelled when he tried to pick me up. He looked a little frightened. "Oh, Ron, I'm so sorry, I- it's just…..contractions."

"I understand." He said, smiling.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked, walking down the stairs.

"Because you're finally having a baby." I smiled weakly at him.

"Ron, let's talk about this later, when we're not in this particular….well, situation."

"Oh. Right."

I waddled into the Living Room and up to the fireplace. I found the pot of Floo powder on top of the fireplace and grabbed a handful, while Ron flew in behind me and grabbed some too. We both shuffled into the fireplace (It was a tight squeeze) and together, we Flooed to St Mungo's.

"Can we get some help here?" Ron yelled as we stepped out of the fireplace. "My wife's gone into labour! My wife, Hermione Weasley, she's in labour!"

"Oh, my….." I heard a Healer say.

"Ahh….It hurts!" I said, clutching my heaving belly.

"Alright, we'll take her to a room. You're the husband?"

"Yeah."

"Right then, if you two would just follow me to one of the rooms, and we'll have you washed and ready to give birth Mrs Weasley!" The Healer said, taking my hand and leading me through some corridors.

I couldn't feel anything but the contractions. Should it have hurt this much? Does it always hurt this much? I didn't know.

"Hermione, you'll be OK." Ron said, grasping my other hand. I nodded a little. I wanted to believe him, but I couldn't, no matter how much I tried.

The Healer lead me over to the bed, and helped me in under the covers.

"Shhh, it'll be OK, let me just help you out of your pyjama's and into one of the St Mungo's gowns, and then we'll check how far along you are." The Healer said gently, beginning to unbutton my pyjama shirt.

"No." Ron said quietly. He was standing behind the Healer. I glared at him. "I mean, I want to do it. I want to help."

"Oh, alright then, that will speed things up a bit." The Healer said, abandoning my Pyjama shirt. "I'll go and fetch you a gown." She left and Ron came closer to me.

He started unbuttoning my shirt.

"Thank you Ron." I said.

"It's fine," He mumbled. "It's my fault you're here."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here, in labour."

"Don't be ridiculous Ron, I wanted this as much as you, I was the one to suggest it in fact."

"So? I got you pregnant."

"Exactly. If I remember correctly, which I always do, it takes two to make a baby."

The Healer came bustling back in.

"Right, if you would just like to pop this on, then I can check how dilated you are-"

"What does dilated mean?" Ron asked.

"Well, in this case, it's how wide open her cervix is, that way we can tell how close we are to the birth." The Healer informed him. Ron went red.

"Oh."

The Healer bent down between my legs and I blushed deep scarlet.

"Right, I'd say that's about four centimetres, so we're entering an active birth."

"A-already?" Ron asked, his eyes widening.

"Ron, it has to be ten centimetres before I can deliver." I told him, lying down.

"Oh."

"Do you want me to contact your families?" The Healer asked.

"Er, yeah, can you contact Molly and Arthur Weasley?" I asked. "And Harry and Ginny Potter. Could you please tell them to also phone my parents?"

"Will Muggles be able to enter St Mungo's?" Ron asked.

"I'm afraid that they can't, but if they could, it would only be on a very serious matter."

"It's just that my parents are muggles." I said.

"Well, I suppose on a very important matter-"

"Thanks." Ron said.

"You say that they're your parents?"

"Yes, it's the birth of their first grandchild." I said.

"Well, then yes. I'll speak to the other Healer's."

The Healer left Ron and I alone in the room. There was a kind of awkward silence between us, as neither of us knew what to say.

"Ron," He looked up. "Can you hold my hand? I really need to squeeze something."

"Oh, yeah, sure." His hand found mine. I squeezed it really tightly. "Ouch."

"Oh, sorry Ron."

"It's OK."

The Healer bustled back in, followed by Mrs Weasley.

"Oh my, Hermione!" She said, flying across the floor to give me a hug. "I've told as many of the family as possible, so they should all be here!" I nodded weakly. "How dilated is she?"

"Hmm." The Healer went in between my legs again, pulling on rubber gloves. "I'd say seven or eight centimetres."

"Already?" I said.

"Yes, the baby really wants to come out." The Healer told us. I gasped. The pain was a bit like menstruation pain- but worse.

"Oh my…..Hermione, just do what Ginny did; push as hard as you can." Molly said. "I'll fetch Ginny, if she's here."

"Well, looks like we should prepare for the birth." The Healer said. "Mr Weasley, would you like to just stay there, help your wife push when necessary."

Mrs Weasley came bustling in, followed by Ginny and my mother.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" My mother said. "Our first grandchild! Wait until your father hears!"

"Ginny, where are Albus and James?" I asked, squeezing my eyes shut.

"I left them out there with Harry. You'll be fine, just think of a little baby with flaming red hair. Basically, just think of Ron as a baby." Ginny told me, squeezing my other hand.

"What did Ron look like as a baby Molly?" I asked. Molly smiled.

"Ah. I have a picture. Here, let me just…." Molly said, searching through the bag she had brought with her.

"Mum!" Ron said, going bright red.

"Don't worry Ron, mum did that to Bill and George and Percy when their wives gave birth." Ginny said, looking amused.

"But I don't want Hermione to see it!" Ron said.

"Oh come on, I'm sure Hermione's seen you naked before-"

"Not as a baby!"

"Oh, and you're in the bath too."

"Here it is!" Molly said, pulling a little photo out. "I keep pictures of all my children when they're babies, isn't Ron cute?"

She handed me an old looking picture. A baby with flaming red hair was sitting, giggling and splashing about in a small bath…..stark naked….

I burst out laughing.

"Aww, he's so cute!" I said, still laughing.

"Mum! Put that away!" Ron said, beetroot coloured.

"Aww, look at Ron's little wi-"

"Ginny, you finish that word, and Albus _will_ have been your last child."

"Oh, but Ron, you had freckles, even then!" I said. "And your feet look too big for your body!"

"Yes, he was a cute baby!" Molly said, putting it away again. "One of the only pictures I could get of him laughing- he used to cry a lot."

The Healer came bustling in again, carrying towels and blankets.

"Right, let's check your cervix." She said, bending down. "Right, nine centimetres."

"Already?"

"Yes, sometimes they can come really quickly. We should try pushing about now, it won't make much of a difference."

"So, should I-?"

"Yes, if you feel ready."

I didn't feel ready, but I wanted to push, I wanted to meet the little baby that Ron and I had wanted for so long. So I pushed.

"OOOOOWWWW!" I moaned, pushing as hard as I could.

"Come on Hermione, you can do it!" Ginny said encouragingly, squeezing my fingers tightly. I panted and pushed again.

"Hermione, does it hurt?" Ron asked. Something snapped inside of me. I turned to him, my eyes ready to glare at him.

"Yes Ronald, yes it does." I said icily. "It BLOODY hurts! I swear, this is the only child we're having!"

"Not with this family's history of children." Ginny muttered but I ignored her.

"RONALD, WHY DON'T YOU PUSH A WATERMELON OUT OF YOUR ASS, AND THEN YOU CAN TELL ME HOW IT FEELS!" I screamed.

"Oh, sorry Hermione, I didn't know…"

"Oh, so I'm moaning like this because I like pushing a baby out of my-"

"Hermione, calm down." Molly said worriedly. "Ron didn't mean anything by it, he was just trying to check that you were alright, he probably hates to see you in pain."

"Exactly, thank you mum." Ron said, giving my fingers a tight squeeze.

"Okay now, Mrs Weasley, just keep pushing, the baby's on it's way." The Healer soothed. I turned away from Ron and just concentrated on pushing.

I pushed like my life depended on it, even when it took all of the strength out of me.

"I- I can see it's head Hermione!" Ginny said. "It's very large."

"Probably has their mother's brains." Ron said, with a hint of pride.

I kept on pushing. Then I couldn't push.

"I- I can't do it." I moaned.

"Please Hermione, you've done worse then this. Remember when Bellatrix Lestrange tortured you?" Ron said, smiling at me lightly. "You managed to live through that, you managed to lie, you wouldn't be crushed. If you can do that, you can do this."

"Well said Ron." Molly said. "Hermione, I did it seven times. It hurt, but it was all worth it." She looked round at Ron and Ginny. I nodded and pushed as hard as I could, screaming in the process.

Suddenly, a high pitched wailing filled the room. I laid back on the pillows, exhausted.

"Congratulations Mr and Mrs Weasley, you have a girl."

"A girl?" Ron whispered in disbelief. The Healer nodded, cleaning the baby off a little before wrapping her in blankets.

"Would you like to hold her?" She asked. I nodded weakly at the same time as Ron.

The Healer placed her in my arms first. All of the Weasley's (and my parents) had filed in, crowding around the bed to get a good look at her.

She was so perfect. She had little wrinkles on her face, she was so delicate looking. On her head was a tuft of red hair. Ron's hair. Forgetting about the fact I had just screamed at Ron, I turned to him a little and held out the baby for him to hold.

Ron's large hands gently lifted her out of my arms. He handled her with such care, such carefulness, that I smiled. Ron's blue eyes were filled with tears, that gently rolled down his cheeks.

"Oh, Hermione," Ron said. "She's perfect."

"I know."

"What are we going to name her."

I have an idea…." I turned to Ginny. "Ginny, do you remember the conversation at The Burrow, after we had told all the Weasley's that we were both pregnant?"

"Yes. I remember."

"Do you remember what I said about The Weasley's hair?" Ginny looked a little confused.

"Kind of. You said that you like The Weasley's hair."

"And what did it remind me of?" She smiled knowingly.

"You said that it reminds you of Roses."

"So, that's it?" Ron asked, looking up from the baby. "Rose?"

"It fits." I told him, taking the newly named Rose from him.

"Yeah, it does."

"Congratulations Ron." Harry said, who was now holding James in his arms. Ginny had picked up Albus.

Ron and I smiled as all The Weasley's (and my parents) came closer to congratulate us. Meanwhile, we stayed snuggled up with Rose, who had opened her eyes and revealed a pair of sea blue eyes.

**Please be nice, I've never given birth before, and any of the information about "Dilation" up there is from what I looked up on the Internet. So, because I've never given birth before, I don't know what it feels like.**

**I'll start writing Chapter 11 soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Our lives changed dramatically after Rose was born. I knew that life wouldn't be exactly the same, but I hadn't expected it to change as much as it had.

"Ugh, Hermione, Wake up…..Rose is crying again." Ron muttered. I yawned.

"But I just fed her! Maybe she wants changing." I told him, struggling to sit up.

"Well go on then!" Ron said, sitting up too. "Go change her or whatever."

"Why don't you?" I asked him.

"Because…you're the mum!"

"Well spotted Ron, how long did it take for you to work that out?"

"Hermione, why don't you just go and see what Rose wants? I have to be up early, I have to go to work tomorrow." I stared at him.

"So? I haven't slept in weeks because I'm always tending to _our _daughter, and you're always the one getting a good night's sleep! I need to sleep too, I'm only human!" I all but yelled at him. He stared back at me.

"You never ask me to tend to her." He said quietly. I felt like bursting with anger.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" I exploded. "I JUST ASKED YOU….I'VE BEEN ASKING YOU FOR WEEKS TO LOOK AFTER HER, AND YOU ALWAYS TELL ME TO DO IT! DO YOU ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT ROSE? DID YOU ACTUALLY WANT HER?"

I knew I'd upset Ron the moment the words spilled from my mouth. I could see the tears well up in his eyes, I could see how much it hurt him.

"Ron, I didn't mean that….I-" He didn't let me finish. He leapt up from the bed and stormed out of the bedroom. My heart stopped. _What if Ron's left?_ I thought. _What if you've upset him so much that he's left you?_

"Ron?" I asked, tears welling up in my eyes. No answer. "Ron?" No answer again. I couldn't help it. Tears dripped down my cheeks and I started to sob.

"Hermione?" I looked up. Ron was standing there, looking worried. He rushed over to me, almost tripping over his own feet. He wiped a large tear from my cheek. "What's the matter?"

"I-I-I-I thought that you'd left me." I sobbed, throwing myself into his arms. "I thought that I'd upset you so much that you….you'd left me." I sobbed even harder.

"But I haven't. I just went, you know, to check on Rosie." He told me. "I'd never leave you, I always think that, one day, it'll be the other way round…"

"Oh Ron, I'll never leave you." I told him, sobbing still. I knew I was making his shirt wet, but I couldn't help it. I loved Ron too much for him to leave. "Never ever."

"And I'll never leave you, I thought you knew that." He said, tears blurring his gorgeous blue eyes.

"I do, I do!" I said. "What I said….I didn't mean it!" Words seemed to have failed Ron.

"I know." He said. "But you were right, as usual. I should of helped you out with Rose more often-"

"No!" I told him, looking him straight in the eyes. "Not when you have Lawrence to deal with at work, and me to deal with at home."

"What do you mean by having to deal with you at home?" He asked.

"Well, I'm bossy, even I know that." I said.

"No you're not. Maybe in bed, but-" He trailed off laughing as I hit him with my pillow. "Oh, I'm going to get you for that."

He pushed me back down onto the bed and I giggled. He grabbed his own pillow and started whacking me with it. It didn't hurt or anything, it was just a soft pillow. I sat up in the kneeling position and pulled the pillow from his grasp. He grabbed me around the waist and swung me around the room, making me feel dizzy. I laughed quietly, still aware that Rose was in the next room.

"Ron, we need to stop!" I said after a while. "Rose is asleep in the next room."

"Oh, right." He said, putting me down. I hung onto his neck. He looked at me questionably.

"I like it when you hold me." I said. I did. I loved how his big arms could make me feel so safe, so warm, as if we were the only two people on Earth, or that everyone else Earth was far away. That was how some one should feel when they're in love. That was how I felt.

* * *

Ron looked over his newspaper at me.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" I asked, cradling Rose. Rose had settled in a little bit now, and was perfectly quiet sometimes.

"How about we visit George and Angelina today? It is Sunday, so I bet George has probably shut the shop."

"Sure." I said. "Are we bringing Rose, or-?"

"No. I've spoken to Harry and Ginny, and they want to look after Rose. They said that it'd be like a play date with Albus."

I nodded and went back to tending to Rose. Like all Weasley's, she had flaming red tufts of hair, and freckles already. I adored her. She looked so much like Ron.

I remembered how George had to cope after Fred's death. I truly felt sorry for him. I also remembered how we'd all reacted to George and Angelina's announcement that they were getting married.

_Flashback_

_It was the Weasley's Sunday dinner. It was late December, just a few days before Christmas, and it was snowing heavily. As Ron and I walked up the path to the Burrow, Harry came running out, grinning at us. _

"_Teddy's with us, we're all in the back garden, playing and making snow men and snow angels." Harry said, grinning even more. "By the way, George is making an announcement at dinner, so I'd prepare for another marriage or pregnancy." Harry grinned again and ran off inside. _

"_George is making an announcement?" Ron asked, sounding surprised. _

"_Yes Ron, didn't you just hear Harry tell you that?"_

"_Well, yeah, but it's a bit odd, isn't it?" _

"_I suppose. Let's go in, I'm cold." _

_Ron and I entered the Burrow, where George was standing by the door, welcoming people as if it was a formal occasion. _

"_Ah, Hermione!" He said, bending down and kissing my hand. "How nice to see you!" _

"_George," I laughed. "We've known each other for ten years, I'll be your sister-in-law one day!" _

"_I know," He said. "Hard to believe that Ron's getting you to marry him, and I'm only…well, you'll find out later. Hi Ron!" _

"_Hi George." Ron said. "Is that Angelina?" Ron pointed in the direction of the kitchen. _

"_Well duh." George said, grinning goofily. "I brought her."_

_Ron and I looked at each other. _

_At dinner, George stood up with Angelina. They both smiled at us. _

"_Before we eat, I, well, we would just like to share some wonderful news with you spiffing people." George said. He sounded like the George that we all knew and loved. The one before Fred had died. _

"_You got Angelina knocked up?" Ron asked. I hit him on the arm._

"_Ron!" I scolded. _

"_No, it's OK Hermione, although Little Ronnie here has come to the wrong conclusion. A couple of days ago, I gave Angelina a rather special "Early Christmas" gift. I gave her a box with a ring in it."_

"_Oh my….." Molly said, looking astounded. _

"_I asked her to marry me." George told us. "And, remarkably, she said yes." _

_All the girls, including Ginny, Molly and I, squealed excitedly. _

"_Congratulations mate." Harry said, shaking George's hand. _

"_I'm not done with my speech yet." George said. Everyone immediately went quiet. "I just wanted to say, I was really surprised when Angelina said yes, so I asked her why she'd answered yes. I told her that I was a Weasley, that owned a simple joke shop-"_

"_It's more then simple George," Ginny said. "It's amazing." Everyone nodded in agreement._

"_As I was saying; I told her that I was missing a right ear, so, as I have a gaping hole in my head, I'm no longer the incredibly handsome man I used to be."_

"_You left out humble." Bill said. _

"_Anyway, Angelina said that she didn't mind the hole in my ear, and that the joke shop was more successful then Zonko's. So, just to say, us Weasley men don't do bad, do we? I mean, Bill, you're married to Fleur; Percy, Audrey's not too bad looking…And Ron, seriously, how on Earth did you get Hermione Granger to say yes to what I'm sure was a very interesting Proposal."_

"_Ignore him Ron." I said, although we were both grinning. "Congratulations George."_

"_Still not done-"_

"_What else could you have to say?" Percy asked._

"_Well, here's to Weasley men! And as for Ginny, you're married to effing Harry Potter! How the hell did that happen? One minute, you're ten years old, with the world's biggest crush on him, the next you're married to him, and he's bonkers about you!"_

"_It helps that I'm his Best Friend's sister." Ginny laughed._

"_True." George agreed. _

_End of Flashback_

"Ron," He looked up. "Do you remember how happy George and Angelina looked on their wedding day?"

"Yeah, I remember. They're one of the happiest couples I know."

"Who are the others?" I asked.

"My brother's and their wives, Ginny and Harry…..us." We both smiled.

"Not to forget you parents and my parents." I said.

"Oh, yeah."

_Flashback_

"_You know," I said to Angelina at the Wedding Reception. "I don't know if it's just us two, plus Fleur and Audrey, that find red headed men attractive, or if all women are attracted to red heads."_

"_Well, that can't be true, as Ginny's the red head in her and Harry's relationship." Angelina said. She had looked stunning at her Wedding, I'm pretty sure that George had trouble controlling himself when she had walked down the isle._

"_Well, maybe everyone finds red heads attractive." I said. "I mean, you found both the twins attractive." _

_Normally, the subject of Fred would make Angelina cry, but she'd confined in me that, now that she had George, she wasn't really upset by the mention of Fred any more._

"_I know, but that's the problem." Angelina sighed. "Some people seem to think that I'm only marrying George because he looks like Fred, but I know he's not Fred. I mean, Fred and I sort of drifted apart before his death."_

"_Well, all us Weasley's know that you really do love George."_

"_But, you see, even George thinks I went out with him because he looks like Fred, and sometimes, it causes us to fight a bit."_

"_Well, think about it like this, next time you argue, just say to him that you married him, didn't you, and then he'll realise that he's the one that you want."_

"_Ladies," George said. I have to say, he looked amazing, with his red hair, and his new wedding robes on his tall frame. "How's my beautiful wife?" He pulled Angelina into a fierce hug and gave her a fiery and passionate kiss on the lips. "Hermione, do you mind if I borrow my gorgeous wife for our first dance as Mr and Mrs Weasley?" _

"_Of course not, Mr Weasley. Mr Weasley, have you seen my husband, Mr Weasley?"_

"_Yes, I have. Try the table with Mr and Mrs Potter." And with that, George whisked Angelina away. I giggled. If that wasn't love, I didn't know what was. _

_As soon as I'd found Ron, George and Angelina were on the dance floor. A soft, romantic sounding piece began to play, and George and Angelina began to dance, staring at each other, just like Ron and I had. _

"_Any couples are free to join the new Mr and Mrs Weasley." George yelled for a moment, before he turned back to Angelina. Now he only had eyes for her. _

"_Come on Ron!" I said. Harry and Ginny joined George and Angelina too. Soon, almost everyone in the room had joined the married couple._

_End of Flashback_

**Hi everyone! OK, just to avoid confusion: Ron and Hermione got married before George and Angelina did, OK? OK, I know that this chapter probably sucks, but I don't know anything about looking after Babies, and keeping this story interesting, with lots and lots of things going on, so this chapter was a little bit different then the other ten chapters. You see, I want this story to remain as romantic as possible, as when I get married one day, I want a romanitc relationship. Oh, and kids, either two (Like Ron and Hermione) or three (Like Harry and Ginny).**

**Chapter 12 **_will _**be up soon.**

**By the way, this story will go up until Hugo's first birthday, or until I feel is fine, Hugo's first birthday being an ideal place to stop. But that's ages away. **

**Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year! (It's still technically Christmas)**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Please Hermione."

"No."

"Please?"

"I told you, no."

"Why not?"

"Ron, I don't want a puppy. The mess that they make."

"I mean, I'd understand if puppies were known to eat little babies like Rosie, or we still had Crookshanks, but neither of those things are true."

"Ron, I just don't have the time to toilet train a puppy. And what's going to happen when I go back to work in a few months? Who'll play with them then? Who'll pick up their poo? It wouldn't be fair on them, there'd be no one to feed him."

"Hermione, please. I'll toilet train it, and I'll come home and feed him in my Break times during work. Or you could!"

"Fine, Ron, I'll think about it."

"Oh, thank you Hermione! I swear, I'll never be rude to you again, I'll buy you whatever you want-"

"Ron, I haven't said yes."

"I know. You know, Rose is asleep, and probably won't wake up for a while…."

"Ron, I'm too tired for that now."

"Please, we haven't, you know, done it since before Rosie was born."

"Ron, I just don't feel right, what with Rose in the next room."

"Hermione, what do you think she'll do, climb out of her cot and walk into our room while we're doing it?" I stared at him.

"No, but we might wake her."

"Well, how do you think Harry and Ginny managed to get two midgets? James was only half a year old when Ginny found out she was having Al."

"Rose is only three months old." A sudden thought hit me. "Ron, you not wanting to try again, are you?" He smiled.

"No, I think one is enough at the minute. Why, do you?"

"God no." I laughed. "Not yet, I mean." I added at the look on Ron's face. "Maybe when Rose is a little older, but not now."

"Oh, OK….good." Ron said, looking as if he'd almost had a heart attack. "Good."

"I know that there's no chance of Rose being an only child, not with your family's history of children." I said to him. "But still, don't expect me to have seven like your mum."

"Nah, not seven. Maybe two or three kids will be an alright number." Ron said. "Anyway, can I have the puppy?"

"Ron," I said, trying to wrap my head around the idea. "Why do you want a puppy? You have a three month old daughter in the next room."

"Well, as a kid, I always had Scabbers as a pet, as well as the family owls. I've always wanted a dog, but obviously mum and dad couldn't afford one. I mean, normal muggle families who I saw in the street always had them. There would be a mum, and a dad, with their children, who would be laughing with their dog. I always wanted a family like that." He smiled at me. "I mean, Fred and George, well, they always teased me too much to want to play with me, and the fact that I broke Fred's toy broomstick didn't help. Percy was, you know, uptight, even as a little kid. Always wanting to help "Mummy" in the kitchen. Bill always looked after Ginny, when he was home for the holidays. I mean, he's about ten years older then her, I think."

"When was Bill born?" I asked.

"November 1970." Ron said. "And Ginny was born August 1981. Anyway, Ginny was always following Bill around, from the moment she could crawl. Same with Charlie, Charlie and Bill always got on brilliantly. So, that kind of left me out. I mean," He added as I looked a little upset. "I was close to them and all, but I always felt like I was competing with them a little."

"You see, I was an only child." I said. "I was lonely. I would of loved a big brother or a little sister. I had no friends at school. I mean, you were home schooled, so you didn't have to make friends. I, on the other hand, was tormented by all the girls and boys at my schools before I went to Hogwarts. I was always that strange girl with a book that could break your toe if you dropped it, the weird one with the brown bushy hair, and the dull brown eyes."

"Your eyes are not a dull brown." Ron said firmly. "When I look into your eyes, I'm reminded of chocolate, milk chocolate."

"You'd know all about chocolate, wouldn't you Ron?" I asked. "You eat enough of it."

"I'm not just saying that," Ron said, pressing his mouth against my throat. I shivered. "Your eyes look more delicious then any chocolate known to muggle man or wizard."

"Your eyes are better. Their bluer then any ocean in the world." I said, my brown orbs connecting with his beautiful blue ones.

"Really?" He asked.

"Oh, yes. Blue eyes are incredibly sexy with red hair by the way."

"Oh, thanks." Ron leaned down and kissed me on the lips again.

"I thought that I'd said we weren't going to do it tonight." I commented.

"Am I not allowed to kiss my own wife?" He asked.

"Well, maybe if you keep up the good work with your tongue, I'll let you take things further with me."

"As you wish."

* * *

"God, I feel old."

I looked up from my book.

"Hardly Ron, you're not even twenty six yet." I told him, amused. "I'm older then you."

"By half a year, that's hardly a lot." Ron stated.

"I know. So why do you think you're old?"

"I don't know. I just feel it."

"Maybe in thirty or so years I'll believe you when you say that." I told him, turning back to my book.

"I'm serious Hermione," Ron sat down next to me. "I mean, Lawrence-"

"Oh, could you shut up about Lawrence!" I snapped. "I'm sorry, but Lawrence is….." I trailed off, looking for an appropriate description. "As slimy as Malfoy. He's a toad. A git. Whatever. He's not worth our time."

"I know, but Lawrence was right when he said that I was old."

"When did he tell you that?" I put the book down, interested.

"Yesterday at work. He said that we, Harry and I, are too old to be going on the mission-"

"Mission?" I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly. "What mission?" Ron went bright red.

"Oh. I didn't mean to tell you." He said, slumping a little. "Harry and I have been assigned on this mission."

"When do you have to leave?" I asked.

"Friday." He said in a barely audible whisper.

"But that's less then a week!" I stated. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to worry." Ron cupped my face gently. "I mean, you have Rosie to look after, and you can't really look after her and worry about me at the same time."

"Is the mission dangerous?" I asked. Ron's eyes went from twinkling to a slightly defeated colour.

"Kind of. You see, Harry and I are two of the best Auror's, well, that's what everybody says. And the guy we're catching, well, he's quite involved with Dark Magic. He blew up this poor muggle girl the other day."

"But, surely the Head should go as well." I said. "If he did, that would make me feel safer."

"Well, he's too old, apparently."

"Harry would do a much better as Head of the Auror Department." I commented. "He's had experience with Dark Arts - He defeated Voldermort!"

"I know. Maybe I should say that to Kingsley, I mean, the Minister Of Magic should be able to replace the Head of the Auror Department."

"Exactly." I agreed. "Oh Ron! I wish that you'd told me!"

"I thought that you'd worry too much."

"Of course I'm worried! Ron, what if you're badly injured? Or killed?" I asked, close to tears.

"I won't be. After all, I'm one of the best Auror's in the Department. Anyway, Lawrence isn't going, so I don't have to watch my back for his hexes."

"Please, be careful Ron." I told him. "I know that you're not going until Friday, but still, just promise me that when you go, you'll be careful."

"I promise." Ron grabbed my hand. "After all, Rosie's going to need a sibling one day."

* * *

"WHAT?"

That was Ginny's reaction when I told her what Harry and Ron were doing. It was Monday afternoon, and Harry and Ron were due back soon.

"It's true." I told her. James was trying to stand up, by pulling at one of the chairs. "Umm, Ginny, James is trying to stand up." Ginny snapped out of a trance and picked him up.

"Who's a big boy?" She asked him, making him giggle. She looked up at me. "They grow up so fast." I smiled.

"I know." I tickled James under the chin, making him shriek and kick his little legs. "Ginny, does James talk?" She considered.

"Well, he says "Mama" and "Dada" sometimes." She told me. "And, he's learning to walk." She sighed. "So, Harry and Ron are going on a mission on Friday?" I nodded.

"I only found out yesterday, otherwise I would of told you sooner."

"I know." Ginny said. "But why didn't Harry tell me?"

"Ron said that the missions sort of dangerous."

"What do you mean by "Sort of"? Is it dangerous or not?"

"Ron told me that the wizard is deeply involved with Dark Magic, and that he blew up a muggle girl in the street once." Ginny went white.

"Oh." She choked. "Oh." She looked like she was going to start sobbing. I decided to watch Rose sleeping in my arms. Albus was up in his room, taking a nap. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, and I'm bloody worried." I said. "I love Ron like you love Harry."

"I know, I was at your wedding, remember?" Ginny said, smiling a little. "I was the maid of honour."

"I know. I was there too, you know, the bride."

"But Harry and Ron aren't going, are they?" Ginny asked.

"Of course they are Ginny, why do you think I said that they're going this Friday?"

"I thought that I'd heard you wrong."

"I wish that I'd heard it wrong."

"But you didn't." Ginny and I both sighed. Harry and Ron apparated into the hallway. Ginny handed James to me, before she stood up and went out into the hallway.

"Ginny?" I called. At exactly the same moment, I heard Harry shout: "Ginny! What are you-?" Before he tumbled in the Dining Room where we were sitting.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were going on a mission?" Ginny sobbed, coming into the room, followed by a terrified looking Ron. "WHY?"

"Gin…." Harry seemed lost for words. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you, I mean, you have James and Albus to look after. I didn't want to worry you."

"Hold on," I said suddenly, handing James back to Ginny. "That's exactly what Ron said to me." We both glared at our husbands.

"Alright. Kingsley had a talk with us when we received the mission," Ron said. "He said that it was too dangerous for any of the Aurors, and that we were the Departments last hope for catching this man, as we defeated Voldermort."

"He asked us if we'd do it. He reminded us that this guy was well known for blowing up muggles, and muggle-borns-" Harry said quietly, not meeting our eyes.

"Not to mention anyone who gets in his way." Ron said, looking a little green.

"At first, we said no." Harry continued. "But when it was reported that a muggle-born woman had been severely injured around this area, we panicked that it was Hermione…" Harry looked as if he was going to throw up at any minute. My stomach clenched. Ginny and I hugged James and Rose to our chests tightly.

"Go on." I choked, looking at Ron.

"Ron wanted to rush down there," Harry said. "But, luckily, and obviously, it wasn't Hermione. The poor girl looked just like you, though. Ron had a heart attack just looking at the girl. It was only when the Healer told us that the girl's name was Isabella Quick he calmed down a little. But we stayed with her until she died. After that, Ron and I have been worried that one of you might…" Harry couldn't finish his sentence. Ginny got her free arm and patted him on the shoulder. Nobody said anything for a few minutes.

"We don't want anyone else to die." Ron said. "It's a bit like Voldermort all over again: People being murdered everywhere you look, none of the Auror's being able to catch him…." He trailed off.

"Please, don't say anything else." I said. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Me too." Ginny said, clutching James tightly.

"Please, don't go." I said, getting one hand free to clutch Ron's right arm. "Please. I don't want neither of you to go. Get Lawrence to go! Let him die!" I was crying now. Ron just looked sullenly at me.

"We can't back down now." He said, his voice thick, just like when we'd lost the babies. "We have to go."

"No you don't!" I cried.

"He's a killer Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, grabbing my hand as if I'd lost my mind. "We have to go!"

"Ron, what if you're killed?"

"Hermione-"

"No! You could die on this mission!" Ron's eyes went teary.

"It's not a dangerous as you think!" Ron said.

"Then what happened to the other Auror's?" Ginny and I asked at the same time. Harry and Ron sighed.

"They ended up in St. Mungo's." Harry said, his voice sounding grave. "They didn't die. Wright, the ex-Death Eater, tortured them into madness."

"Oh." Ginny choked. She broke down all of a sudden, sobbing into James's hair.

"Mama sad?" James asked Harry, sucking his thumb. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, Jamie, it's because daddy's going away for a few days, but then he'll be back." Harry told him. "Kreacher!"

Kreacher appeared out of nowhere, and bowed to Harry. He was no longer coughing.

"Could you please take James up for a nap, and check on Albus?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Master." Kreacher bowed, picking up James and cradling him like I was cradling Rose. He disappeared.

"We better go now." Ron said. "We'll talk to you later." Ron and I stood up and went to the "Living Room". We approached the fireplace and flooed to our house.

* * *

When we were back, I put Rose upstairs in her cot, before going back downstairs to the Dining Room. Ron was sitting in one of the chairs, sighing.

"Ron," I said. He looked up. "Don't lie to me, how dangerous is the mission?"

"Less dangerous then hunting Voldermort, more dangerous then my usual missions." He said, not looking at me.

"Oh." I said. "So, not easy, but not too difficult?"

"Yeah." He said. "Hermione, listen, I'll be fine, I promise." He pulled me towards him and onto his lap. "Just remember that."

"How long will you be gone?" I asked, snuggling into him.

"If we haven't caught him by Next Wednesday, then we have to come back." Ron held me tighter. "I'll make sure that neither Harry or I are hurt on this mission, I swear."

**I'm really sorry that my latest chapters are shorter then the others, but I wanted this bit as the end specifically.**

**Keep Reading and Reviewing! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you more, Hermione."

"Please don't leave."

"After the…..love making that we did last night, I'm not sure if I'll be able to walk too far before I collapse."

"So, that's a reason to stay."

"No, it's not. I'm sure that Harry's the one with most trouble walking, and he's still going."

"Please, I love you, Ron. Don't go."

"I'll be back on Wednesday, at the latest."

"When you come back, I'm giving you the most brutal sha-"

Harry coughed.

"I love you Hermione." Ron bent down and kissed me on the lips with such passion, I was taken aback for a moment.

"I love you Weasley." I said when we broke off.

"My four favourite words in the world." Ron said.

"Be careful, you prat." I said.

"Why am I a prat?" Ron asked, giving me another passionate kiss on the lips.

"Because you agreed to this damn mission." I said fiercely, pulling him further into the kiss."

"Ron, mate, I know that you and Hermione love each other, but we really need to go." Harry said.

Ron and I were at the front door, saying goodbye. I gave him a final kiss on the lips.

"I'll see you before or on Wednesday." I said.

"I'll miss you." Ron called as he walked down the path to the gate in front of our house.

"I'll miss you more!" I shouted. "I love you, Ronald Billius Weasley!"

I didn't cared if everybody stared at me like I was a lunatic, because I thought that everybody should know that I loved Ron. My ginger knight in Shining Armour. I stood there, in my Dressing Gown and Pyjama's until I was sure that Ron and Harry had gone. When I did go back inside, I didn't know what to do. When Rose started crying a few minutes later, I went upstairs to feed her.

But when I walked into her room, I broke down when I looked at her. With her red tufts of hair, and her big gorgeous blue eyes, so like Ron's, she looked almost exactly like Ron. Rose stopped crying, and gave me a small smile. She always smiled at me and Ron. I read somewhere that babies smiled at the people they loved best.

I couldn't stop crying. Rose just looked too much like Ron. It was too much for me to cope with. I sat down on the floor, drawing my knees into my chest, and let the sobs wrack through my body. I wanted my Ron back. Why did he have to leave?

Rose was looking confused through the bars of her cot. Her expressions…..Her smile was just like Ron's, like a big grin…..When she was confused, she had that same clueless expression…..

Rose began to wriggle uncomfortably, before closing her eyes and going back to sleep. I gave a little laugh. Just like Ron, she liked to sleep. After a minute or two, I went back to crying. _Why did Ron have to leave?_ Normally, whenever I was upset, Ron would cuddle me and wipe away the tears. But Ron wasn't here.

* * *

"Ginny, did you cry when Harry left?" I sniffed. I was at 12 Grimmauld Place. I'd wiped my tears away and dressed Rose and I, fed her some breakfast, before flooing to 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Yes. In fact, I was sobbing so bad that I was thinking of owling Andromeda and telling her to have Teddy for an extra week." She said, sniffing herself. "I woke up both James and Albus. Poor James." She sniffed again. "At one and a half, and I'm waking him up at half past six in the morning."

"I think that having Teddy round will give you something to do." I told her. "Whenever I look at Rose, I'm just reminded of Ron." I sniffed, feeling more tears stinging my eyes.

"It's the same with Albus." Ginny said. "One look at his eyes this morning, and "BANG!" I started sobbing uncontrollably." Ginny had tears in her eyes. "I just hope that they'll be OK."

"Me too. I couldn't let go of Ron this morning." I said.

"Was it worse then what I did?" Ginny asked.

"I wouldn't let go of him."

"This morning, he had to pull me off him. I broke his glasses twice, trying to stay held onto him."

"Oh God." I said. We both started laughing uncontrollably. "I think that you should have Teddy round for the week, then you'll have him, James, and Albus to look after on your own."

"Good idea. I better owl Andromeda and tell her to have Teddy here as soon as possible." Ginny sighed, running a hand through her thick, messy, tangled red hair.

"I better get back, try and find a book to immerse myself in." I said. "If that's possible."

* * *

After Rose and I had flooed back, I put her down for a nap, sighing. Rose looked so peaceful, so clueless, to what was going on. _What if she won't see her father again?_ I thought. _Then what?_

I shook my head to clear the bad thoughts away. I thought to myself; _Ron is going to come home in five days, and, just like you said, you will give him the best love making session he's ever had._

* * *

Sleeping was no easier. Just walking into our bedroom brought a fresh wave of tears on. I climbed beneath the covers, wanting to cuddle into Ron. I missed the warmth of his body, the smell of his shower gel, the feel of his red hair in-between my fingers, the feel of his hands on my body, his lips on my mine…..

I decided to go through his drawers. He'd left his old Chudley Cannons T-shirt here for me. I pulled it over my head, making my hair even messier. It hung off me, it was far too large, but I didn't care. It smelt of him. I went back to bed and tried to pretend that this was just one of those nights when he was late back from work, not coming in until Midnight. I closed my eyes, and tried to pretend….….Pretend that Ron was going to come in late from work tonight, because of Stupid Elliott Lawrence…I yawned…..

* * *

I'd pretended so well that when I woke up to Rose wailing, I almost had a heart attack to see that Ron wasn't there. The first thought that ran through my mind was _Where is Ron? Oh God…_

But then I remembered that Ron was on a mission, and that he wasn't coming back for another four days. I sighed and went to tend to Rose.

"Hey," I said to her, picking her up. She immediately stopped crying and gave me a small Ron-ish grin. "Did you wake me up early for no reason?" She opened her mouth a little, and I could see that her gums were a little red. Oh. "Are you growing some teeth?" I asked. She smiled again. "If only your daddy was here to see this." I sighed.

Rose gave an impatient little wriggle. I laughed a little, and she burrowed into my chest. She seemed content to stay there, so I just stood there, staring out into the back garden.

The back garden was now a little mini Quidditch Pitch. Ron had saved up as much money as he could, and then bought the hoops, white paint to mark the pitch and the balls. I smiled. Ron and I had known that the baby wouldn't immediately play Quidditch, but Ron had decided that he, Harry, Ginny, Teddy, and any our nieces and nephews could play in the back garden. I had told them that I couldn't play Quidditch, as I was terrible on a broomstick.

Rose seemed to like the smell of Ron's T-Shirt.

"Don't you go and start supporting the Cannons missy," I told her, kissing her head, loving the feel of her soft red hair underneath my lips. "They're terrible."

Rose looked up at me and poked her little pink tongue out. I laughed. She was Ron's child, there was no denying it.

Maybe that was partly the reason I loved this child. That and I had the maternal instinct inside me. It was scientific that mother's had this bond with their child.

As I rocked Rose, I kept on talking gently to her.

"Do you like this shirt?" I asked her. She smiled at me, blinking her blue eyes. "You like the smell." She smiled again. I took that as a yes. "It's your daddy's. He's away at the minute, but he'll be back soon. Do you like your daddy?" She blinked and grinned. "Of course you do, your daddy's the most handsome, and nice man in the whole world, muggle or wizard." Rose stared at me, still grinning. "Your daddy loves us very much. You look a lot like him, not an ounce of me in you, yet." Rose yawned. "I hope that your daddy's safe, wherever he and Uncle Harry are."

* * *

Monday morning, Rose and I just stayed up in her room. Sometimes, I'd babble about her daddy for hours, going on and on about how handsome and smart and brave he was. Most of the time Rose would just smile at me politely, and listen to me babbling, other times, she'd simply lie down and nap.

"Oh Rose," I sighed just before lunch time on Monday. "Just two more days until your daddy comes back." Rose smiled. She did that a lot when I was cuddling her. "I do miss him." She giggled. I sat up. "Your daddy's going to be so proud of you!" I exclaimed. "You giggled!" She clapped her hands together, as if saying "Yay me!".

My heart fluttered. My baby could giggle _and _clap! Oh, how I wished Ron could have been there to see it.

"I'll be back in a minute, OK?" I asked Rose, who was sleeping peacefully. I smiled down at my daughter (Oh, how I love that word!) and went downstairs to get myself some lunch.

There was a tawny coloured owl tapping on the kitchen window.

_Oh God. Please God…Don't let it be about Ron…_ I thought frantically.

My hands shaking, I opened the window. The owl flew in and landed on the worktop gracefully. It stuck out it's right leg and I had no choice but to take the letter tied to it. I took a deep breath and let the owl fly out before I closed the window and, shakily, opened the letter.

_Dear Mrs Hermione Weasley, _

_Your husband, Ronald Weasley, was admitted into St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries at 9:04 this morning, due to Spell Damage. He is in a critical condition, but has started recovering. The Cruciatus Curse has been reported to have been cast on him a number of times. _

_You will find him on the fourth floor, in Room 105. His other family have been notified. _

_Yours Sincerely _

_Healer Timothy Brown_

My heart had stopped beating. No, this couldn't be right….._Cruciatus Curse has been reported to have been cast on him a number of times_…_Critical Condition_…._No_…..

I forgot about getting lunch, dropped the letter and ran out of the kitchen. I ran up the stairs, into Rose's room, picked her up, ignoring her cries of protest, all the while the words "_Cruciatus Curse_", "_Critical Condition_", "_St Mungo's_" running through my head, as well as the thought that my husband would become a permanent resident at St Mungo's….I shook my head fiercely to myself. That couldn't happen.

I grabbed some Floo Powder from the mantelpiece with the hand that wasn't holding a wailing Rose and I stepped into the fire place, shaking all over.

"St….St Mungo's!" I shouted, feeling tears stinging my eyes. The green flames erupted around me and Rose, startling her. She started to wail louder. I couldn't think.

I stepped out of the fireplace, and ran to the front desk.

"I'm Mrs Weasley, Ronald Weasley's wife. He's on the fourth floor for spell damage." I managed, starting to sob. The Healer at the desk looked at my worried state, Rose, who was wailing loudly and disturbing the Healer's rushing around, and the fact that I hadn't remembered to brush my hair that morning didn't help. "Please!" I pleaded, sobbing harder. "He's my husband!"

"Alright Deary, I'll take you to Mr Weasley's room, just follow me," A passing by Healer said. "Shhh," She soothed to Rose. "There, there, just hand her to me." I clung to Rose as if she was Ron. The Healer didn't say anything and lead me up to the fourth floor, to Room 105.

She opened the door gently. I peered in. There were quite a few occupied beds, but my eyes rested on the bed near the middle of the room. Ron's bed. Rose quietened down. The Healer turned to me.

"Do you want me to hold her while you talk to your husband?" She asked. I gulped and nodded. I handed Rose to her. The Healer gently took her into her arms. Rose seemed happy to be held by this soft woman. She burrowed into her chest. "How old is she?"

"Three months." I said.

"She's certainly big for a three month old baby. She's a beauty too." I smiled weakly.

"Thank you." I went over to Ron's bed while the Healer kept an eye on Rose.

Ginny and Harry were sitting there. Harry had numerous plasters across his face. He was cuddling into Teddy and James, while Ginny cooed Albus. They both looked pale in the face.

"Hermione," Ginny choked out. "Where have you been?"

"I've only just gotten the owl." I told her.

Molly and Arthur were also there, all on one side of Ron's bed.

"Oh, Hermione, where's Rose?" Molly asked. She looked thinner, and a horrid shade of grey.

"I left her with the Healer." I said. "H-how is he?" I asked. Arthur, who was closest to Ron's head, stood up, offering his chair to me silently. I took it, grabbing Ron's hand, which had been laid across his chest.

"The Healer said that he's badly injured." Molly said.

"We found Wright at four A.M this morning." Harry said. He had a black eye behind his glasses. It was so black that it was closed. "We told him that he could come easily, that way, we'd shorten the sentence that Kingsley was planning to give him. But he just laughed. He murdered this poor little muggle girl, and was about to leave, when we cornered him. That's when it got bad. There were hexes and curses flying all over the place, we couldn't tell which ones came from which wand. About ten minutes after we started fighting, Wright hit me with a Stunner, and I ended up on the ground. Wright was about to use the Cruciatus Curse on me, but then Ron knocked him to the ground. Wright then locked Ron's legs together with this curse, and started torturing him." Harry suddenly went a little red.

"What? What's the matter?" I asked quietly, clutching Ron's hand, watching his heavy breathing.

"He started shouting things." Harry said in a quiet whisper. "Names. Your name, and Rose's."

"Oh." I choked. "Oh." Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Wright just laughed. But I got up, and I managed to put the Full Body-Bind Curse on him. I then sent a patronus to Kingsley, and he came and helped us. But Ron went unconscious." Harry and I both had tears rolling down our cheeks.

"Oh, Ron." I said, clutching his hand.

**Awww, now I'm sad. :( Don't worry, there'll be a little bit more fluff in the next chapter... ;)**

**Chapter 14 will be up VERY soon!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I was the only one still left by Ron's bed that night. He hadn't woken up. He wasn't even croaking things. I felt hopeless. I wanted Ron back. He was so brave…

"You won't believe what Rose learnt to do while you were away." I whispered in his ear. I'd been doing that for hours, telling him to wake up. "She learnt how to giggle! She looked so pleased with herself, she even clapped! She can clap too!" I clutched Ron's hand tighter. "She looks just like you Ron! She does! She has your hair, your beautiful hair- and your eyes! Your gorgeous blue eyes! She even grins like you, and she looks just like you when she's confused! Oh, Ron, please wake up!"

Ron's eyes remained shut. A tear silently went down my cheek.

"Please wake up Ron," I pleaded quietly. "You're so brave, stopping Wright from hurting Harry! And…..Ron, I love you. I want to see Rose playing with little red haired children….our children…Please wake up Ron, for me…"

His breathing remained heavy, his eyes remained closed. I let out a strangled sob. I wanted Ron back, I _needed_ Ron back. I remembered how, three months ago, we'd been so happy, Rose's birth had happened….

"Oh Ron, promise me that you'll wake up soon." I told him. "Even if only you can only promise in your mind, just promise."

For a moment, Ron's breathing was lighter, more even, and I thought that he'd wake up. But then his breathing became heavy again. In my mind, he'd promised that he'd try to wake up, for me, for Rose.

"Er-my-nee." He croaked suddenly. I almost jumped up with joy. _Ron was recovering!_ I stayed where I was. I smiled at Ron. I kissed him on the forehead.

"I promise Ron, I'll be back first thing in the morning, but for now, I have to go home and put Rose to bed. I'll bring her in with me!" I whispered in his ear. I gave him a quick peck on the lips and left the room. The Healer who had been looking after Rose was carrying her down the corridor.

"There you are!" The Healer said. I took Rose into my arms. She was sleeping peacefully. I kissed her forehead.

"Thank you for looking after her." I said. "Miss-?"

"I'm Emily Whitethorn." She said, shaking my hand. Emily was about twenty or so, with a kind looking, round face, and kind brown eyes. They weren't like my milk chocolate ones, they were more like dark chocolate.

"Thanks for looking after Rose." I said. She smiled at me.

"What a pretty name for a pretty little baby." She said, stroking the hair on Rose's head.

"I'm going to go home now, put Rose in her cot, but I'll be back tomorrow, would you be able to let me take her with me?" I asked. A small frown creased her soft features.

"I suppose so." Emily said, before smiling friendly again. "You better get your little girl home." I nodded and said Thank You, before Rose and I flooed back home.

* * *

I took her upstairs soundlessly and laid her down to sleep in her little cot. I loved the way how she smiled in her sleep, how her hand was curled up, as if she was holding someone's finger. I smiled down at her, before kissing her on the top of her head lightly. She smiled a bit more. I smiled before I went to me and Ron's bedroom, pulled on his Orange Chudley Cannons T-shirt, before settling in-between the covers.

I still felt lonely, lying there in the bed that seemed too big without Ron. I pulled his pillow, his soft pillow, towards me, cuddling into it as if it was my own personal teddy bear. It smelt like _him_. I pretended that the pillow _was _him, and I was snuggled up with him, in bed, like every night. I yawned and fell asleep.

* * *

The Next Morning, I woke up as early as possible, which wasn't difficult. I'd been having trouble sleeping ever since Ron had left for his mission with Harry. I lay there in bed, waiting for Rose to wake up in the next room.

When I finally heard her wailing, I got up and went to her room. Rose, like always, stopped crying when I came in.

"We're going to see your daddy today at the hospital," I told her, picking her up and rocking her. She smiled. "Maybe your daddy might not be up yet though, so you have to promise not to cry too much, OK?" She smiled. "I hope that means yes." She smiled.

After I'd dressed her and gotten myself washed and dressed, I fed Rose and got myself a slice of toast. But I sat there, not eating it, as I wasn't feeling that hungry. I just wanted to see Ron.

Rose and I flooed to St Mungo's. Immediately, I started looking for the kind Healer I'd seen yesterday, Emily. She came bustling over after a minute or two.

"Good Morning Mrs Weasley," She said. "Most of your family's here too."

"Oh," I said. "Really?"

"Yes, you're mother and father-in-law were the first here. Do you want me to take you to your husband's room?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you." I told her. "How's my husband? Has he woken up yet?"

"I'm afraid not." She sounded really sorry. "But he's definitely a lot better. He's been croaking things all through the night, so we hope that it won't be too long until he wakes up."

When we got to Ron's room, Molly, Arthur, Harry and Ginny (with James, Albus and Teddy) were around Ron's bedside. I walked over to them. They all looked at me.

"I hear Ron's better." I said. Molly smiled weakly.

"Yes, he's muttering things in his sleep." She said. "How's Rose?" I smiled. "She's fine. Brilliant, actually. She learnt how to clap, smile and giggle!" Molly smiled properly now.

"Really?" I nodded. "Well, let me take a look at my granddaughter then!" I handed Rose to her. Rose beamed up at Molly. "Oh, she looks just like Ron."

"I know. She sleeps like Ron too, and she has his grin." To prove my point, Rose grinned at Molly, just like Ron.

"Oh," Molly said. "She's so beautiful, Hermione. She even has little freckles….and dimples!"

"She really does look like a Weasley," Ginny said. "But then again, her hair could end up darkening, same with her eyes. Babies eye colour can't really be defined until about four to eight months after birth."

"I thought I was the one who read up on this sort of stuff." I said, smiling.

"Hey, I've done my research too." Ginny said. "But I sure hope Albus will still have Harry's eyes. Every time I look at him, those eyes just peer at me, like little emeralds."

Ron mumbled something, before breathing heavily again.

"I hope he wakes up soon, he's missing all the things that Rose is doing." I said. Molly handed Rose to Arthur, who seemed equally delighted with her giggles and smiles. She even snuggled into him and fell asleep. I smiled at them, cuddled up like that. It warmed my heart a lot, to know that Rose was in a loving family like the Weasley's.

* * *

Ron had been mumbling all day long, but he never lifted an eye lid. Once again, it was getting late, and I was the only one by his bedside. Molly and Arthur had gone to the Fifth Floor to get a cup of tea. They'd taken Rose with them so that I could have a moment alone with Ron.

"Ron, I brought Rose. She's with your mum and dad." I told him quietly so that none of the other patients or Healers could hear me. "She really misses you Ron," I took a deep breath. "I miss you. A lot. I miss having your warm body next to mine, I miss the feel of your hair," At this, I ran one hand through it. "I miss everything about you."

I kept my eyes on Ron. Ron's lips were forming words again.

He mumbled something incomprehensive. He said it again.

"Er-my-nee." He said. I gasped- Quite literally gasped. "Er-my-nee." He said again.

Slowly, like in slow motion in the films, his eyes fluttered open.

"Hermione?" He croaked. He shut his eyes, and for one terrible moment, I thought that he was going back to sleep, but then he opened them again- he was only blinking. "Hermione?"

"Oh, RON!" I screamed, launching my self on him. "Oh, I've missed you SO BLOODY MUCH!"

Some of the Healer's came bustling in.

"What is all this noise abo-?" One of the Healer's stopped dead. The other's stood there, with their mouths open.

"Oh, Ron!" I said, kissing him on the lips. "I thought that you were going to die! I couldn't bear it…"

"Mr Weasley, how are you feeling?" A Healer said. I looked up and saw it was Emily, smiling at us. "Any pain?"

"Uhhhh, I feel a little stiff." Ron croaked.

"Whereabouts?" Emily asked.

"My legs feel really stiff." Ron said. His blue eyes swivelled to me. "Hermione?"

"Yes, Ron, it's me." I said, holding his hand. "Oh, when I got the letter from St Mungo's…I was so worried! I thought that you were going to die!" I could feel tears stinging my eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." Ron said, grinning. "After all, you promised me a brutal sha-"

"RON! Oh, Arthur, he's woken up!" We both looked at the doorway, past the frozen Healer's, and saw Molly, standing with Arthur, who was holding Rose. Rose looked startled for a moment, but then yawned and went to sleep.

Molly and Arthur rushed past the Healer's and over to Ron's bedside.

"Oh, Ronnie, how worried I was!" Molly said, kissing as much of his face as she could. I laughed a little, wiping a few stray tears away. Ron went scarlet.

"Mum! I'm fine!" He said, trying to sit up a little bit. "I feel fine! Just a little stiff and sore." He looked at me. "Where's Rosie? Is she OK?" I looked at the worry in his eyes and nearly laughed.

"She's brilliant!" I told him. "Her teeth are growing, and she can clap and giggle and smile!" I didn't think I'd ever seen him look so happy in his entire life, except for our wedding and when Rose had been born.

"Really?" I nodded. "That's wonderful! Bloody Brilliant!"

"She looks just like you!" I said. "When she grins!" I gave Ron another passionate kiss on the lips. "I love you so bloody much!" I kissed him again. "I'm going to make sure that you never ever leave on a mission again!"

"Would you like me to contact the rest of Mr Weasley's family?" Emily asked, smiling at us.

"Yes please!" Arthur said before either of us had time to answer. "I'm sure that everyone will be as relieved as we are that Ron's awake."

* * *

Ron's recovery was so fast that he was allowed to leave by the following Friday, just three days after he woke up. As soon as we'd discharged Ron from St Mungo's, we flooed to our house.

Ron was holding Rose. She was always giggling at him, and smiling her little grin that mirrored Ron's.

"I've really missed you." He said to Rose, as he sat on the sofa with her in his arms. She smiled. I smiled. "You really do look like me, don't you?" He eyed her red hair as he said this. "Hopefully, you'll grow up to look like your mother-"

"Don't tell her that." I said, snuggling up with him. "I'm horrible looking. A true witch."

"Don't say that. I don't see any warts on your face." Ron said, before turning back to Rose. "Hopefully, you'll grow up with some brains too, something I don't ha-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." I all but growled at him. "Don't you dare say you don't have any brains." Rose yawned.

"You tired Rosie?" He asked. She grinned. "Let's put you in your cot then and you can have a nice kip." She giggled.

"Ron, I think I should take her up." I said, trying to get Rose out of his arms before he could stand up.

"Why?" He asked, frowning. I frowned at him too. Rose decided to try and copy us and tried to frown herself.

"Because of you legs." I said. "You complained yourself about them hurting."

"My legs are fine Hermione. Just let me take her upstairs."

"No." I said firmly. "You need to rest your legs."

"Hermione, she's my daughter, I can take her upstairs to her room if I want."

"Not when your legs are bad."

"Why do you have to be so damn bossy?"

"How dare you? I'm trying to think of your own safety! Anyway, what would happen if you collapsed and fell on Rose? What if you dropped her down the stairs?"

"I would never-!" I cut him off.

"I know you'd never do it on purpose, but accidents usually seem to happen around you!"

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" He yelled. Rose started crying.

"Stop Yelling!" I shouted.

"You're yelling!" He shouted back. "Just answer my damn question!"

"Well, considering that you've just been discharged from St Mungo's because of Spell Damage," I shouted. Rose cried louder. "I'd say that you bloody well watch what you're doing! And stop swearing!"

"You just swore a minute ago!"

"Give me Rose!" I demanded. "You're making her cry!"

"I'm making her cry? You're one who started this whole argument because of my legs! They only felt stiff a few days ago, I'm fully healed!"

I suddenly realised what we were doing.

"Ron," I said quietly. "OK, I'm sorry, I'm just worried…You can take Rose up if you want."

"No," Ron said. "If my legs are that bad, then maybe _**you**_ should do it, Miss Know-it-all." My eyes filled with tears. Ron called me "_Miss Know-it-all_", my own husband…

"Ron, I'm sorry." I told him, tears spilling down my cheeks. "You're right. Please, take Rose upstairs." Rose was still crying loudly.

"No, Hermione. What are you going to say next: That I'm _always_ making her cry, that she hates me?"

"No Ron," I said, close to sobbing. "Rose missed you. We both missed you. _I _missed you. I slept with your T-shirt on every night-" I was cut off by Ron thrusting Rose in my arms.

"Just take her." He said coldly. He stormed out of the Living Room. Rose only wailed louder.

"Shhh," I said, rocking her gently on the spot. When she calmed down, I took her upstairs and laid her in her cot, so that she could sleep.

* * *

When I got downstairs, Ron was in the Kitchen (Big Surprise there), eating what looked like a packet of crisps. He was turned away from me.

"Ron," I said quietly. I wiped a few remaining tears away. "You've just gotten back from St Mungo's, so, I don't want to fight." Ron sighed, and turned around to look at the floor. He didn't look me in the eyes.

"I don't know why we got married." Ron said. My heart thumped underneath my shirt. "We're always arguing, and-"

"Ron, it was just a little fight, that's all." I walked over to him, and cupped his face in my hands. "It was my fault. You're right, I am bossy. Please Ron, can we just forget about this?" He didn't look at me. "Look, I promised you something, and I really want to give it to you, but I can't if you're mad at me." He looked into my eyes. For a minute, his blue eyes connected with my brown eyes, and neither of us could look away.

"I'm sorry I called you a Know-it-all." Ron said. "I just wanted to spend time with Rose."

"I'm sorry I was bossy."

"I love you Hermione."

"I love you Ron."

**Awww, I think that's really like them two: Fighting one minute, kissing and in love once again the next. :)**

**Thank you all for the nice reviews: The more reviews I get, the more I try to write.**

**Keep Reading and Reviewing! Chapter 15 will be up, once again, as soon as possible!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Heya! It's me again (Obviously!) Today (13/01/2011) is my Birthday! I got the day off school because my mum and dad thought that because it's such a special birthday, they didn't want anyone to ask me about an incident that happened on Monday, and upset me, also, two people in my class are really mean and horrible to me, so my mum and dad gave me the day off! Anyway, here's Chapter 15!**

Chapter 15

I yawned and opened my eyes. Ron wasn't lying next to me in bed. I frowned and sat up. _Where is he?_ I asked myself.

"Ron?" I called. He came in…and he was holding a breakfast tray.

"Happy Anniversary, Hermione." He said. I smiled.

"Happy Anniversary, Ron." I said. He sat the Breakfast Tray in my lap and gave me a kiss.

On the tray was a piping hot cup of tea, and a plate full of jam toast. There was also a card for me on the tray.

"Oh Ron, thank you!" I said, opening the envelope of the card. I pulled out a card with a drawn wizard and a drawn witch in the middle. They pressed their lips together passionately, before breaking away and waving at me and Ron, who had just sat next to me on the bed. They kissed again and a giant red love heart appeared behind them. Then, beneath them, the words "I love you!" appeared there. I felt tears in my eyes.

"Oh Ron." I said.

"Do you like it?" He asked. I nodded. "Read the message inside."

I opened the card up. Inside, it said:

_Dear Hermione, _

_Happy Anniversary! Just to say, I love you, and through every silly little fight and disagreement, nothing could change the way I feel about you._

_Love Ron_

_XXX_

"Oh Ron." I said, letting a few tears spill. "Thank you. In fact, I'm going to give you my one." I reached underneath my pillow and pulled out the card that I'd brought for Ron. I gave it to him.

He opened it. The card showed a wizard and witch too- but they were holding hands and waving at us from the picture. The witch turned and pecked her husbands cheek, before she started kissing him on the lips. Ron gave me a smile. The witch then lifted up a sign saying "_I love you, you prat._" Ron laughed and opened the card up.

_Dear Ron, _

_Happy Anniversary! _

_Love Hermione_

_PS: I'm keeping you up all night tonight…_

Ron was laughing so hard at the end bit that I couldn't help but laugh with him.

"What does that mean?" He asked. I rose my eyebrow.

"I think you know very well." I told him, giving him a quick wink. He laughed even more.

"Since when do you wink?" I just laughed and shook my head.

"Thank you so much Ron, for the card and the breakfast in bed." I told him, hugging him around the neck.

"You're welcome. I love your card too. That way, you'll remember that you're keeping me up all night."

"Like I'd forget."

"Oh, wait!" Ron said. He got up off the bed and out the room.

"Ron? Where are you going?" He appeared almost immediately. He was holding a large red rectangular box, with a golden ribbon. A sudden realisation hit me. "Oh, Ron, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Yes, I did." Ron said. "Just open it, and I'll explain." He passed me the box gently.

I undid the gold ribbon before I lifted the top of the box. I gasped once I saw what was inside.

"Do you like it?" Ron whispered in my ear. I felt my skin go hot.

"Yes." I breathed. "It's beautiful."

Beautiful didn't describe the gift that Ron had brought me.

It was a long, elegant, red dress. I lifted it up so that I could get a better look at it.

"Are-Are those what I think they are?" I asked, pointing, once more, into the box.

"Oh, you mean, golden high heels?" I nodded. "Yep."

"Oh Ron, how did you find all this stuff?" I asked, kissing him on the lips.

"I knew that you'd like it." He said. "I saw the shoes in the shops just before Rose was born, but I couldn't afford them. Then I saw the dress, and thought of Gryffindor colours, so I started to save up money, you know, so that I could buy the dress and shoes for you."

"Oh, Ron, thank you!" I told him, bombarding him with kisses.

"It was nothing." Ron blushed. "It's for tonight."

"Tonight?" I asked, clearly confused. He grinned.

"I thought that, you know, as it's our Anniversary, that we could go out to dinner tonight. Just the two of us."

"Oh, Ron. That's really sweet, but who would look after Rose?" I asked.

"I've already sorted that out with mum. She said that she'll take her for the night."

"Oh Ron." I hugged him. "Thank you. Where are we going?"

"I've made reservations at this new restaurant, The Golden Wand."

"Oh Ron, thank you so much!"

"It's alright." Ron said as I pressed my lips against his firmly. "It's nothing." Although he was grinning.

I climbed out of bed and reached underneath it. I pulled out a large box, that was wrapped in gold wrapping paper. He opened it when I handed it to him.

"A Broomstick Servicing Kit?" He asked, grinning.

"You, Ron, will never grow out of Quidditch." I told him, shrugging and smiling.

* * *

"Are you coming or not Hermione?" Ron shouted up the stairs.

"Just wait a minute!" I shouted back. I stared at myself in the mirror. The dress was my exact size, same with the shoes. We'd already dropped Rose off at Molly's and we were just about ready to go.

I walked to the top of the stairs. Ron was at the bottom, in the hallway, fixing his formal dress robes. After a moment or two, he looked up, and his mouth dropped open. Literally, dropped open. He just stared at me. My cheeks went red, and my face felt hot.

"Hermione, you look…gorgeous." Ron said, obviously trying to look for an appropriate word. "Really, really gorgeous." I went even redder.

"Thank you Ron." I told him. "You look very handsome." He went red too. I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Er…thanks." He took my hand and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Shall we go then?" I nodded.

"So, where is this restaurant?" I asked as Ron opened the front door.

"It's just opened up in Diagon Alley," Ron replied, locking the door with a quick flick of his wand. "I thought that it would be nice." We walked up the path and out of the gate, onto the pavement. After we had made sure that no muggles were walking down the street, we apparated on the spot.

We appeared in Diagon Alley. Ron and I walked down the street, arm in arm. At night, the street, full of wizarding shops, was quite nice. People had lit lamps so that people could see where they were going, and it made the street glow a little. It had a very romantic feel to it.

The Golden Wand was a big restaurant. There were already hundreds- no, thousands- of wizards and witches eating dinner there. There were wizards and witches wearing gold jackets, taking peoples orders, summoning menus, bringing out food and drinks. There was a young wizard, with a French look to him, standing by the door, showing people where to sit.

"Ah, Mr and Mrs Weasley?" He asked. We nodded. "Right this way." He lead us over to a table. The table was exactly in the middle of the restaurant, and people were turning around to stare at us as we sat down.

"Oh, God." Ron muttered under his breath, before turning to face me fully. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I didn't think that they would do this." I almost laughed.

"You act like you're the famous one." I told him. "Ron, we were _both_ on Chocolate Frog cards, and, we're best friends with the boy who lived. We helped defeat Voldermort. So, I think that they're looking at both of us."

"Oh." Ron said. "I know. But it doesn't stop them from being _nosey little gits_." Ron said the last bit especially loudly, so that everyone could hear him. Almost immediately, everyone turned back to their dinners.

* * *

"That was really nice of you Ron," I told him. We had had our dinner at The Golden Wand, and were now heading back home. It amazed me what some people would do. About halfway through our starter, this man, no older then us, had come up to our table and asked for an autograph! "Thanks."

"It's alright. We both needed a nice night out, just the two of us, you know?" I nodded.

After we went underneath the Archway, we apparated on the spot to our road. We appeared just opposite our house, across the road.

When we had gone across the road, Ron suddenly stopped me before I could reach the gate.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He looked alert, ready for something to happen. "Ron, what's the matter?"

"Shhh!" He said. "Something's not right." I saw he was right a moment later.

The front door was open.

"Ron, I thought you said that you'd locked it!" I exclaimed. He turned to me.

"I did!" He looked serious, but I didn't want to believe him. "I remember locking it!"

I remembered him locking it too. I remembered him flicking his wand to lock it.

"Then why is the front door open?"

"I don't bloody know!" He sighed, pulling out his wand. "Hermione, you need to stay here for a minute, while I check to see if someone's in there." My heart pounded at the thought.

"No, Ron." I pulled out my wand. "I'm not pregnant, so I'm in no danger."

"Yes you are, Hermione. I don't want to lose you like I lost Fred."

"You won't." I touched his shoulder. "I'm a good fighter."

"I know." He sighed. "OK, but please, stay close to me." I nodded.

We made our way to the front door. We pushed it open a little, making it creak. Neither of us breathed for a moment. There wasn't a sound. Ron slowly edged further into the hallway, over to the stairs. I followed him.

"_Lumos_." We both whispered. The lights immediately appeared at the end of our wands.

Ron and I made it up the stairs without any problems. Then we decided to check Rose's room.

Rose's cot was in the middle of the room, same as always. The walls were still Gryffindor coloured, and everything was in place. Ron and I edged out again and went to check our room.

Ron lifted his wand to the bed side next my side of the bed. Someone had been in here. The Drawers were open. All the books I kept in there were strewn across the floor, and on the bed. A picture that was once sitting there, one of me and Ron at our wedding, was feet away from the mirror, which had a large crack in it. I edged over to the picture slowly, bending down to pick it up. All the glass had shattered out of the frame. The golden frame, with intertwined roses on it, was a little dented. The Ron and I in the picture beamed at us out of the photo, waving at us. I touched the photo gently. I felt Ron's hand touch my shoulder. I didn't need to look round to know that it was Ron, as the hand that touched my shoulder was big, like Ron's. I touched the shattered glass gently, so that I wouldn't cut myself.

"Bloody Hell." Ron quietly swore.

"I know." I looked into his big blue eyes as I stood up. "Who would do such an awful thing?"

**Basically, the incident that happened on Monday was I was walking home from school, when this idiot boy in my year went and pulled a Party Popper in my eye, and my parents got all worried that he could've blinded me, so they emailed my headmaster, and got the boy excluded.**

**Once again: IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! WHOOO!**

**Chapter 16 will be up soon!**

**(Happy birthday to me!)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Hermione, you need to sleep."

"I can't. It's our Anniversary, and somebody's broken in, Ron, _broken_ in."

"That's why I'm staying awake." I sighed.

"But don't you need to sleep too? Ron, Every wizard, or muggle, needs to sleep. It's only human."

"Hermione, what if they come back?"

"We'll hear. I put up some enchantments, like the ones on the Horcrux hunt. We'll be fine."

"Hermione, I'm not taking any chances."

"Well then, neither am I."

I sat up, like Ron. He was sitting up in bed, looking alert, his wand near his right hand. I gently took his hand in mine, which made him pull it out of my grip.

"Ron!" I said, hurt.

"Hermione, if the git comes back, I need to be able to reach for my wand."

"At least let me stay up with you." I said, putting my hand on his arm. "Please?" Ron looked into my eyes and sighed.

"Alright. But if the git breaks back in, you have to stay here, alright?" I nodded, although it was only half hearted. "And if I fall asleep, you'll wake me up, right?"

"Of course." I said, stifling a yawn.

We sat in bed for hours on end. The minutes crept by painfully slow. My back began to ache from sitting stiff for so long, so, I gave in to temptation, and lay down, cuddling myself into Ron's frame. I felt him stroke my hair for a few seconds, before it went back to beside his wand. I stayed awake, breathing deeply.

I can't remember what time I fell asleep. All I remember is that one minute, I was cuddling into Ron, wanting to know who had broken in, then the next, I had opened my eyes. The sun was shining in my face through the bedroom window, and I was still cuddled into Ron. I lifted my eyes to Ron. He was snoring lightly. I gently reached up to touch his cheek. His eyes fluttered open.

"Sorry." I whispered. When he saw it was me, his body relaxed immediately.

"It's OK, I'm fine." He pulled me closer and yawned. "I don't think he-or she- will come back."

"Neither do I. Maybe it was a one off." But Ron and I both knew that wasn't the case.

After Ron and I had both had quick showers, we got dressed and apparated to the Burrow to collect Rose.

"Are you sure Hermione?" Ron asked when we appeared a few yards away. "I mean, what if the person comes back?"

"Ron, she's our daughter, we have to take care of her, no matter what." When Ron didn't look me in the eye, I pulled his face so we were eye to eye. "Ron, she's in as much danger here as she is at our house. You and I both know that." Ron knew I was right. Here, at the Burrow, or at my parents house for that matter, Rose was in danger too. It wasn't exactly a secret that Ron and Ginny had grown up here.

Teddy came running out. This surprised us, as it was only Saturday. Dinner at the Burrow wasn't until tomorrow.

Teddy hung of Ron's neck.

"UNCLE RON!" He yelled. I smiled a little.

"Hiya Ted. What are you doing here on a Saturday?" Ron asked.

"Uncle Harry wanted to talk to Molly and Arthur. Come on, Uncle Bill's here with Victoire!" And with that, Teddy let go of Ron and ran back into the Burrow, laughing.

"That's strange." I commented. "What's so important that Harry needs to talk about with Molly and Arthur?"

"Dunno," Ron said shrugging. "Come on, I think I smell home made cookies." Ron sniffed the air and made a delighted noise.

I laughed and followed him into the Burrow. Sure enough, the smell of freshly baked cookies was lingering in the air. Fleur was standing in The Burrow's kitchen, over a tray piled with freshly baked cookies. Ginny seemed to be helping her, as she had her own tray

"Ah, Ron, 'Ermione, you are 'ere to collect Rosie, oui?" She said.

"Yes, Fleur, can I have one of them cookies?" Ron asked. Fleur gave a throaty laugh and nodded.

"So where's' Bill?" I asked. Fleur smiled at me.

"Bill?" Ginny asked, grinning at me. "Oh, he's with the kids in the garden, being super uncle."

At that moment, Harry, followed by Molly and Arthur came running down the stairs.

"Oh! My cookies!" Molly said, just entering the kitchen. When she saw that they weren't burnt, she smiled.

"Oh, Thank You!" She said to Fleur and Ginny. "I should of stayed down here, but Harry needed a quick word with us."

"What about?" I asked, trying to sound casual. Harry just smiled.

"Hermione, you shouldn't go nosing around other peoples conversations." He told me. But then he stopped smiling. "Well, uh, I suppose I could tell you."

"Yes," Ginny said, taking a step closer to Harry. "I'd like to know why you wanted to come to The Burrow on a Saturday."

"Well, last night, somebody broke into Grimmauld Place." Ginny nodded with understanding.

"I remember." She said. "Go on."

"Well, I wanted to tell Molly and Arthur, because I don't want who ever it is to break into here, or any other people's houses."

"Someone broke into our house last night." I said. Ron nodded. "We came home from The Golden Wand late last night, because it was our Anniversary, and someone had left the door open. They went through all my drawers and broke my picture of me and Ron at our wedding."

Molly and Arthur had both gone pale. Fleur was standing there, looking shocked. Harry and Ginny seemed to have stopped breathing and turned into stone. I squeezed Ron's hand.

"Oh." Ginny choked after a while. "Oh."

"Do you know who might of broken in?" Arthur asked, looking very grave. Ron and I both shook our heads.

"We're really worried about taking Rose home," Ron said. "You know, in case they come back." I nodded weakly. The thought of the stranger breaking back in, and finding Rose, defenceless in her cot asleep, while we were in the next room, asleep too…I felt sick all of a sudden.

"Molly," I croaked. "I really have to go to the bathroom, can I just…?" I trailed off when she nodded.

"Of course Deary."

I ran out of the kitchen as fast as I could. As soon as I made it to the closest bathroom, I locked the door and leaned over the toilet. I was sick all over the place. I couldn't stop. All the food I'd had the last night seemed to expand in my stomach, and it just kept on coming up in a flow of puke. Behind me, I heard Ron unlock the door and open it behind me. I felt his hands pull my bushy hair away from the stream of puke.

"Hermione, it's OK." He said soothingly. I shook my head weakly when the vomiting stopped.

"Ron, what if they come back and find Rose?" The feeling came back and I started vomiting again. Ron put the hand that wasn't holding back my hair on my shoulder comfortingly.

"Are you sure you just didn't eat some bad chicken at the restaurant last night?" I nodded.

"It only came on when I thought of Rose."

"Speaking of Rose, I believe that we came here to see her." I nodded again.

"OK, let me just clean my teeth or something."

After I'd managed to wash the sick of my teeth (with a toothbrush that I found by the sink, which I cleaned later) and made myself look better, Ron and I returned to the kitchen in The Burrow. Molly and Arthur were still there, while Harry and Ginny had gone out to the Back Garden with Fleur to watch the kids and Bill play.

"Feeling better?" Arthur asked me. I nodded.

"Yeah, just felt a little sick, but I'm fine now."

"Dad, where's Rosie?" Ron asked. I clutched Ron's hand as hard as I could. Arthur smiled.

"She's sleeping in your old room Ron, she loves it in there, slept through the night." I smiled.

Ron and I went up the stairs to his room. When Ron opened the door, all the memories of his room came flooding back to me: how low the ceiling was, how posters of The Chudley Cannons were plastered on almost every inch of the wall, how Pigwidgeon used perch on top of Ron's wardrobe…..

Rose was asleep in a cot that had been set up in the corner of the room. The room actually looked large and empty without Ron's bed and things. Rose looked really peaceful, sleeping in Ron's old room. Rose seemed to have changed since I'd last seen her. Her hair seemed a little longer, a little redder, she seemed to have gained freckles, just like Ron, and her cheeks seemed a little rosier, more pink.

"She really is a beauty, isn't she?" Ron breathed. I looked over to him, and saw that he had a look of absolute awe, along with adoration, on his face.

"I know." I said. "She looks just like you Ron." He nodded.

"I just can't believe that such…a beautiful thing came from my…Er, sperm."

"Not to forget that she came from my body." I said.

"I know. How could such a gorgeous thing could come from making lo-"

"Ron!" Ginny shouted up the stairs. I noticed that there was an edge of panic to her voice.

"Ginny?"

"Ron, come quick!"

I grabbed Rose, who had woken up. She beamed at Ron and I, but we couldn't concentrate on that. Ron and I ran down the stairs as fast as we could. Rose, shocked by being carried while I someone was running, started crying. I soothed her as gently as I could, which wasn't easy, as I was trying to run down after Ron without tripping.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, Ginny and Harry were standing there, clutching Teddy, James, and Albus to them tightly. Fleur was clutching Victoire to her chest, while Bill seemed to clutch Fleur to his. Molly and Arthur were standing there, looking quite scared.

"What's happened?" I asked. Teddy looked up at me, with sad little grey eyes.

"This man appeared in the garden. He picked up Victoire." Teddy said. I realised that was why Fleur was clutching Victoire to her chest so tightly. "She started screaming at him and he dropped her on the ground. She hit the ground really hard and started crying."

"Is she OK?" I asked Fleur. "Is she badly hurt?" Fleur shook her head. She was really pale. "What did the man look like Ted?" He shook his head.

"I couldn't see his face." Teddy said, a tear leaking from his eye. "But I saw his eyes. They were dark and cold and scary." Ginny clutched Teddy's hand with the hand that wasn't holding Albus.

"What was he wearing?" Harry asked. When Teddy wouldn't answer, he looked into the eight year olds eyes. "Ted, this is really important. We have to know so that he won't come back." Teddy sighed and nodded.

"He was wearing a long black cloak. He had his hood up, which is why I couldn't see his face."

"Do you think that this is the same person who broke into your house, son?" Arthur asked Ron.

"I don't know." Ron said. I passed him Rose, who he took gratefully. Rose gave him a toothy smile and giggled at him. "It might be."

"What about the person who broke into Grimmauld Place?" I asked. I turned to Harry.

"What happened last night then?"

"Ginny and I were just having a special dinner, it being the Anniversary of the Final Battle and all, when we heard someone apparate into the hallway. So, we thought it was one of you two, maybe you'd had a fight or something," Ron and I both frowned at this. "So we went out there, and there was this stunner that just missed Ginny's head. So, I sent a stunner back at him, but then he Disapparated. We thought that he's gone for good, but then we heard Teddy screaming from upstairs. He'd obviously apparated upstairs. We ran up, but he heard us and got away again. We checked the rest of the house, but he'd gone for good." I began to feel scared now. This person- this sick, twisted person- was looking for us, trying to kill us…

"Ron, I need to-" Ron nodded.

"Go, I'll be up in a second." I ran up the stairs again and this time, I couldn't bolt the door before I threw up all over the tiny bathroom, which meant that everybody could hear it.

**OK, so this is Chapter 16! I really wanted to get this done, because I love to write, and I have ideas for later on, so I want to get them down. **

**By the way, I've changed my mind: The story will go on until the Epilogue in Deathly Hallows, I hope!**

**As always, I'll update as soon as possible! Keep on Reviewing!**

**~ PevensieForce101**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The month went by slowly, but there was no sign of the intruder again. Soon, my mind began to think that the whole incident had been a dream, because nobody ever did anything.

Of course, it was all over the newspapers. Soon, I had people sending owls, asking how badly injured I was.

"Would you believe this?" I said the Monday after we'd visited the Weasley's, sitting up and reading the Daily Prophet. Ron looked up at me from where he was lying in bed.

"What?" He asked.

"Just listen to this!" I cleared my voice and read:

_Potter and Weasley home Break-In Horror __by Rita Skeeter_

_On Friday night, a masked intruder has been said to have broken into the homes of Ron and Hermione Weasley, a couple on the brink of divorce, as well as the musty house of Harry Potter, the boy who lived, and his wife, Ginnie Potter, as well as their two sons and Harry Potter's godson. _

_The intruder is said to have smashed his way into the house of Mr and Mrs Weasley, destroying their most treasured possession, as well as writing the word "Mudblood" all over the walls. At the Potter's household, he is said to have attacked Ginnie to the point of major scaring, and almost killed the poor crippled house elf. _

_On Saturday, the intruder is thought to have grabbed Harry Potter's own innocent niece, a girl of two years old, and dropped her in the lake near The Weasley's childhood home, The Burrow, almost drowning the poor child. Luckily, Mr Potter managed to dive in and save the day, although the child is said to be on the brink of death, if a quick recovery doesn't occur. The only description for the intruder is said to be a man with "Dark Scary eyes" and "A long black cloak with a hood", a description given by three year old Teddy Lupin, Harry Potter's godson. Teddy, like Harry, has lost his parents, after they abandoned him shortly after he was born, dumping him on Harry and Ginnie. In Teddy's eyes, eyes that change colour, as he's a metamorphmagus, there are ghosts swimming in his eyes, just like his godfather's eyes. _

_I will keep you updated on this horrifying incident._

"I don't bloody believe it!" Ron cried in outrage, sitting up and taking the paper from my hands. "They spelt Ginny's name wrong! And we're not on the brink of divorce!"

"I know- and look at this! The intruder did not write "Mudblood" all over our walls! How many lies are in here?"

"Well, there's the lie about Kreacher being crippled, the one about Victoire being only two years old and innocent-"

"Ron, Victoire is innocent." I scolded.

"Not when she plays "Pin Uncle Ron down until he can't breath." I swear!" I ignored him.

"The intruder didn't pick Victoire up and drop her in a lake! He only dropped her on the floor!" I stated.

"How do you think Bill and Fleur are going to take this news?"

"I'm guessing very badly."

"Also, since when is Teddy three? I swear he's eight!"

"He is eight Ron." I scanned the paper again. "Look at this! Teddy was not abandoned by his parents!"

"Harry's not going to be happy."

"No, he's not."

After Ron had gone to work (Which I forced him to do), I flooed to 12 Grimmauld Place with Rose. I was immediately met by the shouts of Andromeda Tonks and Ginny. I looked at them, and they were both red in the face.

"-ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGED-!"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT, ANDROMEDA, IT'S THAT DAMN COW, RITA SKEETER'S FAULT-!"

"-IN A RIGHT STATE, MY GRANDSON IS IN A RIGHT STATE BECAUSE OF THIS! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR DAMN HUSBAND'S STUPID FAME-!"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT ABOUT MY HUSBAND!"

"I'LL SAY WHATEVER I BLOODY WANT!"

"IT'S NOT ME OR HARRY'S FAULT THAT THIS DAMN COW'S WRITING THIS ABSOLUTE CRAP!"

"OF COURSE NOT," I heard sarcasm in Andromeda's voice. "YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND THINK THAT ALL THIS PUBLICITY IS GOOD, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, GINNY? I THINK NYMPHADORA AND REMUS WOULD BE DISGUSTED WITH YOU AND HARRY-"

"GET OUT."

"WHAT?"

"I SAID, GET OUT BEFORE I KICK YOU OUT."

"Ginny!" I shouted. Andromeda and Ginny turned to me for the first time.

"OH, and look, it's the bushy haired Know-It-All." BANG. Andromeda let out a small scream and went flying through the air, landing on the floor with a thud a few feet away. Ginny immediately looked guilty.

"She deserved it." She said, blushing fiercely underneath my stare.

"Where are James and Albus? And where's Teddy?" Ginny looked like she was going to burst into tears.

"Teddy's upstairs with James and Albus, playing." She then burst into tears.

"Ginny!" I said. I wanted to hug her, but I had Rose in my arms, so I couldn't. Andromeda seemed to notice, and climbed up, a little clumsily, and took Rose in her arms. I put my arms around Ginny. "Why are you crying?"

"This is all my fault!" She sobbed. "I can't even keep Harry's godson out of the spotlight, so how am I going to keep my own children out of it?"

"Ginny, this is just Rita Skeeter, nobody reads her anymore, I bet you."

"But I'm right!" Ginny sobbed harder. "Teddy's Harry's godson, and I can't even keep him away from the paper's."

"Ginny," Andromeda said gently. "I'm sure that Remus and Nymphadora would consider you Teddy's godmother, at the very least. You're a great mum."

"No, I'm not! God, what am I going to do?"

"How's Teddy doing?" I asked Andromeda, while Ginny sobbed into my arm. "Why is he in a state, he didn't read the-" I stopped and Andromeda nodded. "Oh."

"He read it before I did. He didn't mind so much about being called a three year old, he found that quite funny, and he loved the fact they had his name right, but then he read what Skeeter put."

"About his parents abandoning him?" She nodded.

"He got really worked up, and tried to lock himself in his room. He kept on saying that we were all lying to him, and wouldn't come out. So, I broke down the door and grabbed his wrist before he could run off, and apparated here. Ginny took him upstairs, made him breakfast while he sat in his bedroom, and when James and Albus woke up, he started playing with them."

"Skeeter's such a…" I trailed off, looking for the right word.

"Bitch." Ginny said firmly. "If I ever get my hands on her, I'll murder her in her sleep."

"Mind if I join you?" Andromeda asked.

"No, I wouldn't." We all laughed a little.

"Does Harry know?" I asked. She nodded.

"He told me that he was going to write in to the Daily Prophet and complain." I laughed.

"Just like Harry to be the gentleman." I commented.

"I know." Ginny laughed, wiping the tears off her face. "I'm sorry Andromeda, for stunning you."

"It's OK. Ginny, I'm sorry for blaming this all on you. It's not fair, especially when you have two little boys of your own to look after." The two women hugged each other gently.

"I think, when Harry gets home, he should have a talk with Teddy about the newspaper's." Ginny said. Andromeda and I nodded in agreement.

* * *

When Harry and Ron apparated to Grimmauld Place from work, they knew that something had happened almost immediately, as Andromeda was sitting there with Ginny and I, arms crossed.

"Andromeda, what's the matter?" Harry asked.

"Harry, dear, it's not your fault, I know, but we think that you and Teddy ought to have a chat." Andromeda said gently.

"Oh, about the newspaper?" Harry asked, grimacing. "I know. I take it he read it?"

"Oh yes." Ginny and I said at the same time.

"Teddy's in a really bad state, Harry." Ginny said. "We only calmed him down when we left him upstairs with James and Albus." Harry turned to Ron and me.

"How did Rita Skeeter know?" Harry asked.

"Dunno, mate." Ron answered, before turning to me. "How's Rosie?" I smiled.

"She's been asleep most of the day, a bit like you." We both looked down at Rose, who was sleeping still in my arms.

"Where's Teddy now?" Harry asked.

"Upstairs." Ginny said. "I think it would be best if we were all there, the more the better. Teddy's bound to believe us if we all tell him and agree." We all nodded in agreement.

Teddy and James were playing in Teddy's room. Teddy definitely looked normal, and unaffected, but when he saw us all, he started to look a little depressed.

"Oh." He said. "It's you."

"Teddy." Harry said, looking really serious. "I think we need to have a chat."

"No," Teddy said. "I know what you'll say. You'll go on about how mum and dad wanted me, and then they died, and you'll expect it to be fixed. But it's not. They didn't want me, and they abandoned me, so there." Teddy sounded thoroughly depressed, and I swear, for a minute he looked like Lupin.

"Teddy, what was said in the newspaper, it was a lie." I told him, crouching down to his level and moving closer so that we were a few feet apart. "This woman-"

"Rita Skeeter?"

"Yes, her, although she wrote the article, it isn't true. Rita spelt Ginny's name wrong, said that Ron and I are going to split up and stated that Victoire was dropped in the lake and is going to die."

"Why would she lie?" Teddy seemed more curious now. Harry smiled at me and nodded for me to go on.

"Because some people think it's funny to destroy other peoples lives. She did that to me during my Fourth Year of Hogwarts-"

"It wasn't that bad Hermione." Ginny said. I glared at her and she shut up.

"She told a lot of people that you were going out with Uncle Harry _and _Viktor Krum, right?" Teddy asked.

"Yes, which is wrong."

"So she said that you were having sex with both men?" Ron seemed to stop breathing. Harry seemed to want to laugh, and was bent over trying not too.

"Teddy, I don't think that "Sex" was ever mentioned in this particular article-"

"But if you go out with two men, it means that you're having sex with them."

"No, it doesn't Teddy. Who told you that?"

"I heard Uncle Bill, Uncle George and Uncle Charlie talking. Uncle Bill said something about Uncle Charlie and some Egyptian lady had gone out to dinner. Uncle Charlie laughed and said that they had sex afterwards, and then Uncle George said that Uncle Charlie always had sex with women when they were going out."

"I shall be having a talk with Uncle Bill." Ginny said.

"And Uncle Charlie." Harry agreed.

"Not to forget Uncle George." I said. "Teddy, how did you hear this?"

"I heard them talking in the Living Room when I was coming back from the toilet."

"Hmm, well, we're off subject here. Rita Skeeter writes bad things. She likes to spread rumours about other people."

"OK, so is it a rumour that you and Viktor Krum kissed the other day." Ron let out a choked, strangled noise.

"Kissed?" He asked. "But-but…."

"Teddy, that happened to be a very, very _old_ article."

"So it's true?"

"Yes, but it wasn't like that sort of kiss."

"What kind of kiss was it?"

"The type that you give a friend."

"Ugh. Why would you kiss a friend?"

"I kiss Harry sometimes." Ron choked a little. "It's a brother and sister type one, I mean." Ron breathed normally.

"So, who do you kiss like that?"

"What, as in the type you give your boyfriend or girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"Ron."

"Just Uncle Ron?"

"Yes Teddy."

"But surely you kiss other people?"

"Not like that."

"So, when you're married, you can't kiss _anyone_ like that except your husband or wife?"

"Yes." I sighed.

"So, do you and Ron have sex every night?" Harry seemed to have forgotten to stop laughing. He burst out into laughter, as did Andromeda and Ginny. Ron went bright beetroot red and I couldn't help but blush and smile. Rose and Albus both let out a giggle and James let out a little, baby-like chuckle.

"Umm, Teddy, that is a private and personal question that I won't answer."

"But this girl at school, Katie, said that grown-ups have sex whenever we're asleep, and she's the smartest girl in school. What _is_ sex?" Harry roared with laughter again. I did not need this.

"OK, Teddy, Uncle Harry will have that talk with you when Uncle Ron and I are gone tonight." Harry's laughter disappeared.

"No I won't."

"Yes you will, you're the Godfather, it's one of your new jobs."

"Bugger."

"Harry, no swearing!" I scolded.

"What is sex?" Teddy asked again, sounding impatient.

"It's…something that married couples do, to…show their love to each other." I was not looking forward to doing this with Rose, or any future children. "When grown ups are married, they have to do it, because kissing just doesn't seem enough."

"Do you want to have sex with Uncle Harry?" Teddy asked, laughing because he thought if he kept on asking these questions, then we'd all laugh with him.

Andromeda couldn't help but laugh, while the rest of us stayed still.

"No." I said.

"But you love Ron, and you tell him off, and you tell Harry off too, so you want to have sex with him."

"Teddy, no. Harry's like my brother."

"Is it bad to do it with your brother or sister?"

"Yes. Very."

"So, it's bad if Uncle Ron and Aunt Ginny kiss?"

"Only if it's in a boyfriend girlfriend way." Why were we having this talk with him now? "Anyway, so Teddy, do you now understand why you shouldn't believe whatever Rita Skeeter reads?"

"Yes Aunt Hermione," Teddy asked. "So, mum and dad _did_ want me?"

"Yes." All us grown-ups said in unison.

"And they really are…dead?"

"I'm afraid so."

"And they didn't abandon me?"

"No, they didn't abandon you." Teddy nodded and smiled.

"I knew that." He said. We all laughed.

"Of course you did Ted." Harry said.

"Well, I think it's time Ron and I got home. We'll talk to you tomorrow." I said. The other three grown-ups nodded. Ron and I apparated with Rose home.

After I'd put Rose to sleep comfortably in her cot (not that it made a difference, she carried on snoring gently), I found Ron in the Dining Room downstairs, and looked at him through the door frame. His head was in his hands, and he looked really depressed. He didn't notice me there. I let out a sigh. Ron immediately jumped a foot in the air.

"Hermione!" He yelled.

"Shhh! You'll wake Rose up!" I said.

"Sorry, but, you scared me!"

"So I noticed." I let out another sigh. "Why do you look so depressed Ron, I don't get it."

"What do you mean?"

"Ron, this isn't about that damn puppy, is it?"

"What? Oh! No! Of course not!"

"Then what is it?"

"You seem to forget what happened on our Anniversary."

"Ron! Why do you have to remind me every time?"

"Because I'm worried about it! I'm worried about getting killed! I'm worried about this bastard getting you or Rosie! I'm scared that if I try to kiss you, the git will walk through the door and take advantage of it! Why aren't you worried?"

"Ron, you don't understand!"

"Why don't I?"

"Ron, I can't tell you!"

"Well, why not?"

"Because I can't!" I felt tears coming into my eyes.

"Why not?"

"Because it's not the best time to mention it!" There was a silence.

"Hermione, you're not…pregnant, are you?" There was another silence.

"I know that it's not the best time, but I only found out this morning after you left for work this morning that I was due on yesterday, but I never…you know, came on. And then I was vomiting yesterday. So I took a pregnancy potion before I went to Harry and Ginny's, and it was positive, but I know that with the intruder thing, you've been really worried, and I didn't think that a new baby was the best thing to have now, and I know that Rose is not even five months old-"

I was cut off when Ron pushed his lips against mine.

"So, I take it that's why you've done your best not to think about the intruder thing." Ron said. I nodded. "I knew something was up when you vomited."

"Ron, I'm sorry that this has happened now-"

"It's not your fault, it's my damn Weasley super sperm." I laughed.

"That's one way of putting it."

"Anyway, we did always say that Rose needed a sibling, didn't we?"

"I remember." I sighed. "God, what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I have two babies to look after now."

"By the time the baby's born, Rose will be about a year old. That's not too bad, considering Ginny and I were a year apart."

"I know. So, you're happy?"

"Of course I bloody am! I get to see my wife carry my second child!" Ron pulled me closer to him and kissed me full on the lips. The intruder out of my head, I could see a bright future ahead: one filled with Rose, Ron and I, along with the new Baby Weasley.

**Awww... Anyway, that bit with Teddy asking about "You know what" wasn't meant to seem rude, just really awkward...**

**Keep up the great reviewing :) I'm still writing!**

**Chapter 18: You know the drill, up as soon as possible!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Ron seemed less stressed after that. He started running around after me, grinning from ear to ear.

When we told the rest of the Weasley family, they were beyond themselves with excitement. Molly and Arthur kept on commenting about how much I glowed, and my sister's in law became a little jealous, even Ginny.

"Well, what if you have another little girl? That's proof Ron doesn't have that damned curse! And why didn't you tell me? Tell me everything- wait, not everything, I don't want to hear details about you and my brother's life in bed, just start when you found out you were pregnant."

All of my brother's in law had patted Ron on the back, and wolf whistled at him for the rest of the day, until we left. It got quite a bit embarrassing, having George especially do it while Molly and Arthur were in the room. I thanked God that they weren't there when we told my parents. That was enough trouble.

"But you and Ron have only just had Rose! She's barely half a year old for God's sake! Can't Ron keep his hands off you for one minute?" My mum had ranted. I'd blushed when she said the part about Ron not keeping his hands off me. It was really the other way round sometimes.

"I thought you'd be happy." I sniffed, trying not to cry. Ron put a comforting arm on my shoulder. My mother immediately looked worried she'd said the wrong thing.

"Of course I am! Good God, I am! It just seems a little soon, that's all."

"We know, especially after what happened on our Anniversary." Ron told her. "But, we're hoping that the little bugger's gotten lost." I scowled at him for swearing. My mum didn't take any notice of Ron's fowl language.

"I hope so too." My mum sighed. "How's Rose?"

"She's brilliant!" Ron exclaimed before I could speak. "She's amazing, I think she'll be just like Hermione, with a lot of brains and stuff." My mother smiled.

"Really? Ron, dear, you have a bit of dirt on your nose." Ron and I took one look at each other and laughed. "What?"

"That's just what Hermione said to me when we first met." Ron said, moving his hand onto mine.

"On the train to Hogwarts." I told her, still laughing.

"God, I love that train."

"I do to."

"Without it, I wouldn't have met Hermione." Ron looked at my mother.

"Aww, that's sweet." My mum looked at me enviously. "If only your father was that romantic." Ron and I both laughed.

"So where is dad?" I asked. My mum looked serious all of a sudden.

"He's still in bed." She looked a little stiff.

"Mum, is dad OK?" I asked. She nodded weakly.

"I don't know to be honest Hermione, some days, like today for instance, he won't get up in the morning, says his head hurts too much-"

"He doesn't drink, does he?" Ron asked.

"Of course not Ron." I scolded. "My dad never drinks too much because he's sensible, unlike you."

"I got drunk once!"

"Anyway, your father keeps on complaining of a sore head. I don't know what to do, because he says it gets worse and worse." I bit my lip.

"Mum, dad doesn't have cancer, does he?"

"I don't think so my dear, maybe he's just getting old."

My mum and I both knew that wasn't the case, however.

* * *

One morning, at the beginning of June, a month after the incident, when Ron and I were going to go for a scan later that afternoon, we got an Owl from Harry.

_Ron, _

_Don't worry, you haven't forgotten about a mission or anything like that. It's just that today is me and Ginny's Anniversary, and she'd prefer it if we could spend the whole day together, just the two of us. James and Albus are at The Burrow and Teddy's at Andromeda's for the day. _

_I was wondering if you'd cover for me today and get some of my paper work out of the way. I've done most of it, just a little bit left. Kingsley knows I'm not coming in, but I heard that the Head of the Auror's Department still wants the papers in. So, do me a favour mate. When you need a day off, I'll cover for you._

_Harry_

"The Git." Ron said.

"I forgot it was their Anniversary." I said, smacking my head lightly with the back of my hand.

"I can't believe he wants me to do all his paper work for him. Oh well, I could just pile it on Lawrence."

"Ron, I wouldn't." He sighed. "I was going to ask you to stay home actually."

"What, spend the whole day in bed with me?" Ron asked, grinning. "I quite like that thought, but I'm afraid I have to say no." I whined like a little dog. "Of course, I'd be happy to spend the whole night with you." I beamed at him.

"I'm looking forward to that Ron."

Ron gave me the biggest grin I'd ever seen and kissed me on the lips good-bye. I didn't want to let go of him, so I clung to him. He gave a little chuckle.

"I really have to go now." I nodded.

"OK. I'll see you for the scan later." I really didn't want him to go, but I knew he had to, so I let him leave the room. I heard him apparate in the hallway. I decided to sleep for another few hours, as I felt really tired. I'd been that way since I'd gotten pregnant with "Baby Weasley Number Two".

As soon as I heard Rose wailing, I got up and went to get her. I checked the time on my digital alarm clock and saw that it was already lunch time. I felt really hungry.

Every time I saw here, she just looked scarily like Ron. Her eyes were still his exact shade of blue, and her hair was his shocking red, but she had longer lashes then Ron, which was obvious as she was a girl. She had the same freckles as him too. The only thing that would make you think she was my daughter too was the fact that her hair looked like it was going to end up curly.

I picked Rose up, making her grin at me.

"How are you Rose?" I cooed. She smiled at me with Ron's smile. "Soon, you'll have a little brother or sister to play with." She didn't look very happy, which made me laugh. "Don't worry, you'll still have your own room." She smiled at me again, looking relieved. I laughed. "Other then that, do you like the idea of being a big sister?" She smiled and babbled a little. I cooed at her. "Do you want to be fed?" She grinned Ron's grin again. Ron's damn irresistible grin. "Oh, alright."

Since Rose had turned four months old, Ron and I had put her on solid baby food. At first, she wouldn't eat it, but then, after a while, she started to eat more and more of it. She still liked to drink a warm bottle of milk before we put her to bed in the evening, as it helped her sleep.

I got Rose her baby food, which I thought looked quite revolting (although Rose had no objection to it) and got myself a sandwich, filled with olives _and_ Marmite. When I sat down with it, Rose wrinkled her nose at it. I laughed and started feeding her with my free hand that wasn't holding the sandwich.

After I'd managed to feed Rose the baby food, she started to yawn. I laughed at her as she reached her arms to me.

"You've only just woken up!" I laughed even more and finished my sandwich. She made little noises, indicating she was getting annoyed, so I picked her up and changed her nappy before I tucked her back into her cot. She looked really peaceful like that, so I decided to get dressed.

I went through my drawers for hours, trying to find something decent to wear. I knew before too long, it would be time to bring out the old "Pregnancy clothes". I found my best pair of jeans and an old black top (Ginny told me that black's slimming).

* * *

"OK, do you have your tape?" The muggle nurse asked. Ron nodded and pulled it out. We were in the muggle hospital again, and were having a scan done. Rose was giggling on Ron's lap, pointing excitedly at everything. The nurse smiled at her.

"Aww, she's adorable. How old is she?" She asked, pulling out some gel from a nearby cupboard.

"She's nearly half a year old." I said sheepishly.

"Oh, well, that's not unusual to happen." The nurse smiled. "OK then, let me just rub this on, and then we'll get the first picture of your baby." Ron and I smiled as she applied the gel onto my stomach. She showed us the screen. She frowned when there was nothing there. "You're ten weeks, right?"

"Just about." I nodded. "Is there something wrong?"

"Hmm, one minute." She smiled weakly at us and left the room.

"Maybe the machine's faulty." I said. Ron nodded.

The nurse came back in, with a doctor with her this time.

"Alright, Hermione, we're just going to give this another try, and then we'll see your baby." Ron and I nodded.

The Doctor put the scanning thing to my stomach. T here was nothing in there. My heart stopped beating.

"Is there anything in there?" I asked.

"Not what you'd expect to see." He stopped and looked at us gravely. "There's no heartbeat. We're very sorry. Sometimes this just happens, but we don't know why. Just give it another month, and you two can try again." The doctor nodded to both of us and left.

"I'll give you two a minute." The nurse said.

I looked up at Ron. He was avoiding my gaze, so I gazed out the window. Nothing was said between us, as we sat there. The only noises in the room were Rose's giggles and gasps at the room around her, as she beamed happily, totally unaware of what was going on around her.

* * *

"Don't feel bad Hermione." Ron said, as he took Rose out of my arms. We'd apparated home from the hospital. Rose was sleeping. "I'll take her to bed."

When Ron came back down, I was in tears.

"Hermione!" He rushed over to put his arm on my shoulders. His other hand wiped the tears away. "It'll be OK."

"How can you say that?" I asked, the tears flowing down my face.

"Well, we can try again in a few months."

"I know, but…I just thought that Rose could have a sibling!" I cried even harder.

"Hermione, we'll be fine!" But then Ron started crying too. We sat there on the sofa in the Living Room, cuddled together, crying our eyes out.

* * *

I sat on the end of our bed, fresh from the shower. My hair was dripping wet and went down my back. I looked at myself in the bedroom mirror, that we'd fixed. I looked pale and thin, no longer glowing. Ron came in, looking more worn out and tired then this morning.

Ron picked up my hairbrush from my bedside table and sat behind me, starting to brush my hair. I wanted to turn around and hug him, but I didn't.

Ron turned the radio. A song came on that I recognised. It was called _O' Children_ by Nick Cave. It sounded uplifting, yet sad. I sniffed. Ron looked down at me.

"Hermione." He said, just about audible. I looked up into his eyes. "Dance with me."

He climbed off the bed and offered me his hand. I hesitated, just looking at it, before I took it, letting him pull me off the bed. He placed one of my hands on his shoulders and the other in his hand. He held me close to him, and we started there, dancing a little to the tune. I breathed in Ron's scent. He smelt just like he had this morning: of his shower gel and deodorant.

Ron spinned me and I smiled. I laughed when he dipped me and I danced with him. We were the only two people in the world. The heartbreak was forgotten, and we were on Cloud Nine. Ron turned me again and I giggled loudly. It was as if nothing had happened, and we were ourselves again.

When the song ended, I realised where we were. We weren't on Cloud Nine anymore. I had just lost our baby. My heart, which had just been beating with excitement, broke in two slightly.

"Thank you Ron." I told him, kissing him. A tear rolled down my cheek.

"You're welcome." He pulled me tighter into his arms, and we stayed like that, letting the sadness wash over us like cold water.

**By the way, the bit at the hospital was inspired by the scene in Marley and Me, where Jenny finds out there's no baby :( **

**By the way, I know that O' Children by Nick Cave is in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (which I've seen twice in the cinema!) but I really love the song, although I only heard it when the movie came out!**

**I'll update again soon!**

**~PevensieForce101**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The sadness clung for weeks and weeks. I'd fall asleep in bed around midnight, with my arms tightly wound around Ron, bawling my eyes out. Ron decided to not go to work for a good few weeks, staying at home and playing with Rose whenever she was awake. But even then, while smiling at Rose, and laughing at her antics, his laugh was a little forced, his eyes dull and depressed, and his smile never quite right.

We missed out on the Weasley family dinner's every week. Ron always sent an owl to The Burrow, saying that we were feeling ill, although all the Weasley's knew the truth. Harry and Ginny didn't owl us, knowing that we needed a bit of time to cope. Fleur occasionally sent me an owl, asking if I fancied a holiday with Ron in Paris, as she still had tickets from when she and Bill were supposed to go, but never went. I owled her back and told her I'd think about it, although my mind was occupied already.

One morning, two weeks after the heartbreaking scan, Ron decided to take action.

"Hermione," He said. We were at the table, eating breakfast, although no eating actually took place. "Take my advice, and owl Fleur, asking her for the tickets. Sitting around here, being all depressed isn't going to help. Going to France, lying on the beach, it will help us." I just glared at him half heartedly.

"How, Ron?" I didn't want to cry.

"Hermione, we need to have a week to ourselves without Rose. All this baby business isn't good for us. A week or so away from Rose and everyone else we know with kids might cheer us up a bit." Ron could see I was still sceptical. He reached out and touched my hand. "Please. Just forget this whole baby thing. Just until the end of the month. Just until the holiday's over at least." I looked into his big blue eyes and gave in.

"Fine, Ron." I sighed. "Whatever you say."

"Hermione, no." I glared at him.

"You were just saying that you wanted me to go!"

"I know, but I want you to do it because you want to, not because I want to."

"I want to go!" I snapped. I sighed. "I'm sorry. I know that you're right, for once, but it's hard to move on, you know?" Ron nodded. "You're right, a week in Paris might do us some good."

So, I owled Fleur that morning. I still felt horrible, and wanted to climb into bed and go back to sleep, but I knew that I couldn't. I found a piece of parchment and a quill, before I sat down on the sofa and started to write my note.

_Fleur, _

_It's me, Hermione. Just to let you know, Ron and I have thought about it and think that it would be a wonderful idea to go to France, if you still want to give us the tickets. _

_Hermione_

It was short, but simple, so I sent it off with Pigwidgeon as soon as he woke up. He looked a little surprised, but happily flew off with my letter to Fleur. I gave a heavy sigh. If Fleur was still willing to give up the tickets, I'd have to get Molly or my mother to baby-sit Rose. I decided to ask my mother first, as I knew she and my father would of loved to have her to themselves for a week. So I picked up the phone and dialled her number.

"Hello?" She asked from down the phone, sounding tired. I suddenly felt bad, wondering if I'd woken her up.

"Mum, it's me."

"Hermione! Oh, well, Good Morning!"

"Good Morning Mum, listen, umm, Ron and I were thinking of going to France for a week or so, you know," I held back my tears. "To cope."

"Oh, well, that's wonderful darling!"

"And, I was just wondering if it would be OK if you looked after Rose while we're gone."

"Oh, well, Hermione, that would be lovely!" I let out a little sigh.

"Thanks Mum."

"Where are you getting the tickets from?"

"Fleur has tickets that she hasn't used. She offered them to me."

"Oh, well, that was nice of her." My mum sighed. "Hermione, you're father hasn't been to good lately, but maybe seeing Rose will cheer him up a little."

"Yeah, maybe." I said Goodbye to my mother and put the phone down. I gave a loud sigh.

"Hermione, have you owled Fleur?" I looked up and saw Ron in the doorway. I nodded.

"Ron, my mum said that she'd look after Rose."

"Well, what about my mum? She and dad would love to do it-"

"I know Ron," I snapped. "It's just that my dad's not very well, and seeing Rose will cheer him and mum up." Ron sat next to me. "I mean, dad's not very well." I sniffed.

"Hermione, I'm sure that your dad will be OK." Ron said. He grabbed my hand. "Trust me. He's probably just got a bug or something."

"You're probably right, Ron." I gave another sigh. "Ron, you still love me, right?" Ron stared at me, appalled.

"Of course." He said. "Why wouldn't I?" I burst into floods of tears.

"Because I can't carry a baby! An unborn baby, for Merlin's sake!" I sobbed into him. "I mean, I managed to carry Rose, but that's one baby! All of your brothers have at least two children already! Why can't we?" I sobbed even harder.

"Hermione, don't be upset, your parents only had one, and that's you. You're bloody amazing!" Tears poured out of his eyes too.

"Ron, there's obviously something wrong with me!"

"It's not you, Hermione!" Ron said. "I know it's not! You're absolutely perfect, it's me who's got something wrong with them!"

"Don't say that!" I shrieked at him, hitting his arm. "Don't you frigging dare Ronald Weasley!"

"It's true!" He started to cry. Suddenly, I felt like we'd reversed roles, and I comforted him, still sobbing. "There's always a bad egg in each family, and that's me!"

"IT'S NOT!" I shrieked even louder.

"Hermione, I'm the one with dodgy sperm!"

"No, your family's just really fertile!"

"Hermione," He looked at me as if I was mad. "Please, can't you just admit that you need someone better then me?" I burst into a fresh wave of tears.

"I get it Ron." I said through my tears. "You want to leave me. Go ahead." His eyes widened.

"No, what I mean is-"

"Ron, if this your brilliant way of getting rid of me, then just say so, because it's hardly brilliant." I told him coldly. "Don't think I haven't realised why you were so God damn depressed before I told you I was pregnant: you were trying to tell me that you were leaving me, you just didn't know how."

"Hermione," Ron cried, tears flowing down his face and off his nose. "That's not true." He took a deep breath. "Hermione, how many times do I have to tell you, you're the one that I want. That's why we're married." He took my hand.

"I know, Ron!" I cried even harder. "Ron, do you remember that locket while we were on the Horcrux hunt?" Ron nodded, suddenly looking pale, paler the me. "Do you know what that did to me?"

"Hermione, it did things to me as well!"

"Like what? What could possibly be worse then it telling me that while you were gone you were shagging Lavender?" I regretted the words the moment they came out my mouth.

"How about it telling me that you preferred Harry, mum preferred Harry, and then the weird Horcrux things that looked exactly like you and Harry kissing half naked?" I stopped crying. This piece of information was quite new to me.

"What?" I asked. Ron nodded.

"The night I came back, when I tried to kill it, it tormented me with images of you and Harry kissing half naked!" I blinked at him.

"Ron, surely you knew that it wasn't true!" I said. "Hasn't Harry ever told you that we're like a brother and sister?"

"I know, but I thought that he was lying."

"Ron, why would he lie?"

"Just thought he would." Ron mumbled.

There was a tap on the window. Ron and I both jumped. Pigwidgeon was back- with a note.

I rushed to open the window, and Pig flew in excitedly, flying around Ron's head.

"Damn bird." He mumbled, grabbing him and pulling the letter off the owl's leg. He held it out to me. "For you." I took it and mumbled a quick "Thank You". I opened the letter.

_Hermione, _

_The tickets are in the envelope. Hope that France is nice, take lots of pictures while you're there. _

_Tell Ron to have a good time._

_Love Fleur and Bill_

I looked again in the envelope and pulled out two aeroplane tickets for France and back. Ron stared at them, fear in his eyes.

"What?" I asked, sort of amused by the look on his face.

"You know I don't like aeroplanes." Ron said. I laughed for the first time in weeks.

"But Ron, you've been on brooms."

"But Hermione, how is that…thing supposed to stay in the air?"

"It just does Ron." I laughed.

* * *

Paris was beautiful. As soon as our plane had touched down, Ron and I were in awe. I had to explain to Ron what the Eiffel Tower was, but after that, everything seemed beautiful. There was a beach, a whole town to go shopping in and so much more. As soon as Ron and I had dropped our bags off in our hotel room, we went out to explore Paris.

There were beaches- such golden beaches! The sun was shining extremely brightly, and it made everything look better, more real.

"I think that we should go there tomorrow." Ron said, looking over at the people sunbathing on the beach.

"Umm, Ron, you do know that people usually sunbathe on the beaches, _topless_, right?" He went bright pink.

"Oh, so, will you be…"

"God No!" I said, laughing. It felt good to laugh. "You won't catch me being topless for any of the men here!"

"Well, apart from me, right?" Ron grinned, although he was pink.

"Of course Ron." I kissed him for the first time in weeks. His lips seemed softer then I remembered, even though they were chapped. I guessed that he's been biting his lips. "Although I don't want you topless in front of any French women."

"Of course not, only you have that privilege." We stood there, in the middle of the road, kissing each other until we both noticed that passers by were staring at us, some in shock, some in amusement, some in awe, some in a weird disgusted look.

I guessed that this holiday was going to be very good for us. Very, very, very good indeed.

**Sorry about it being so short, I ran out of ideas, and I am very tired! *rubs eyes***

**Randomn thought: I want Ron Weasley for my husband. Or Rupert Grint. Or James and Oliver Phelps. *sighs* HOTTIES!**

**Chapter 20 up soon!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Every morning, we both got to lie in, as there wasn't Rose in the next room, wailing for us, or Ron having to go to work. When we woke up, it was like we'd when we'd woken up on the morning after our wedding night. We were full of bliss, and we'd forgotten almost entirely of what it was like back in England. But the one thing we hadn't done, surprisingly, was make love.

The first night in Paris, Ron and I were lying in bed, exhausted. We'd been out all day, looking around Paris, and were now ready to get some good night sleep. Ron's eyes rested on me. I was reading a book, about to put it away, but it was too interesting.

"Hermione, we're on holiday, you don't have to read!" Ron said, laughing with amusement.

"But I want to Ron." I told him, yawning a little.

"Hermione, it's no fun for me if you're reading, when we could be doing this." Ron yanked the book out of my hand and pressed his lips to mine before I could complain. Ron's lips were still chapped, more then mine, but they were still ever so soft. I could feel him reaching around to my back, as if to lift off my pyjama top. I pulled away, out of his arms, and away from his lips. He had a hurt look in his eyes, and my heart broke a little.

"Ron, I don't want to." I told him. "I'm sorry, but we haven't…you know…done it since before…" I swallowed the lump in my throat. I didn't want to cry now, not when we'd had such a good time. "I don't want to do it now Ron. Maybe when I feel a little better, but not now." Ron gave a heavy sigh and nodded.

"OK, I understand." He said. "So…Want to have a game of Chess?" I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.

"Give me my book back Ron." I said, smiling at him. He grinned and grabbed the book he'd left at the bottom of my bed.

"This book?" He asked, sounding like he didn't have a clue. I nodded, playing along with his game. "Well, you can't have the book." I put my hands on my hips.

"Why not?" I snapped. I didn't want to play along with his game.

"Well, you'll have to CATCH ME!" He leapt off the bed the same time I lunged for him. I landed flat on my face on the pillow. I looked up, and saw him at the bottom of the bed, waving the book around, taunting me. I wasn't going to take that.

"GIVE ME THE BOOK!" I snarled.

"Stressy." Ron commented, grinning.

"I am not Stressy!" I growled at him, which made him grin.

"Sure you're not." Ron said, rolling his eyes. I didn't understand why he was annoying me- he was my husband for Merlin's sake!

"I'm not." I told him, climbing off the bed, and taking a step at him, making him move away. "Now, give me the book before I take it." Ron just raised his eyebrows. I had an idea. I gave up, looking out the window in our hotel room. I buried my head in my arms and gave a big sob. That did the trick. Ron rushed to my side immediately, book still in hand, putting an arm around me.

"Look, if it's that bad, I'll give you the book." He tucked it into my arms. I straightened up and turned round to face him, laughing at the look on his face. "You're not crying!" I laughed even more. "You faked it!"

"Yes Ronald, I acted." I looked at the book in my hand. "Thank you for the book, that was nice of you." He was still frozen.

"You tricked me!" He said, torn between anger and amusement. "Your own husband!"

"Grow up." I told him. I went to go back into bed, to carry on reading, but then I felt his strong arms close around me, and lift me up. I screamed as I flew through the air, the book going flying. I began to feel a little dizzy when he gently put me down on the bed, laughing hard. I narrowed my eyes. As soon as his body touched the bed, I leapt on top of him, tickling every inch I could reach.

"H-H-Hermione, s-s-stop…" He laughed. I only tickled harder. "Please STOP!" I laughed and carried on tickling him. The next thing I knew, Ron had somehow flipped us over, and was tickling me now. I carried on laughing until Ron went to lift up my pyjama shirt, to blow a raspberry on it. I stopped laughing and slapped his hands away. He looked at me, confused, and I turned away from him.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" He asked, putting his arms around me. I gave a heavy sigh.

"Well, since that scan, I've been sort of…self conscious." Ron looked at me blankly.

"OK…"

"Ron, you don't understand: I've been pregnant four times! My belly's all saggy!" I turned around to look at him. Ron let out a little laugh.

"Good Merlin, is that what you're upset about?" He asked. I nodded. "Hermione, you're meant to be the smart one. You should know that when you get pregnant, especially more then once or twice, your stomach isn't going to be the same." I sniffed.

"I know, but they just…sit there, reminding me that Rose is the only child we have. That I lost three…" Ron put his finger to my lips.

"Don't," He groaned. "You're ruining the holiday." I nodded as he put the finger down."I know." I let out a sigh. "Let's start over- but," I wanted to make this clear to Ron. "No love making, alright?" He nodded and grinned.

"OK, but can I still snog you?" I laughed.

"That's as far as we're going."

"Right." He pulled me closer to him. "Are you sure?" I laughed.

"Yes!" I said. "I'm really tired anyway, can I go to bed?"

* * *

The rest of the week was spent sight seeing all over Paris. Ron delighted in hearing about how Paris was the city of love, and snuck kisses from me all the time while we were out. A few days after we'd arrived, we set out for the beach, excited. I thought about how all of my sisters-in-law would be jealous of my tan when I came back. The thought was quite pleasant.

But all through the holiday, when we weren't preoccupied with our sight seeing, I thought about Rose. I wondered what she'd look like when we got home. Would her hair be longer? Would her teeth be more developed? Would she look even more so like Ron? I hoped so.

On the last day of our holiday, Ron and I decided to go everywhere we could. We brought presents for most of the Weasley's, and my parents, laid on the beach for a good few hours, and then went out for dinner in the best five star restaurant in Paris, just down the road from our hotel. We weren't looking forward to going home the next day, Ron even more so, as he still hated planes. Although, we both did miss Rose, which was the reason we wanted to go home. The week was the best that Ron and I had had in ages.

When Ron and I got back to the hotel, it had gone past midnight. We stumbled into the room, laughing. Just down the road, Ron and I had been walking back, when Ron had become interested in a glossy black car. He had put his hands on it to feel it, and suddenly, the car alarm had gone off. The owner of the car had been a man in a pinstripe suit, with a thick moustache. He'd started shouting at us madly in French, and so Ron and I had legged it, running as fast as we could, laughing madly. The man in the suit was what Ron had called a "French Percy".

When we had both managed to stop laughing, Ron looked into my eyes.

"I'm going to miss Paris." Ron said, gasping for air. I nodded.

"Me too." And we were. But, like I said, we missed Rose a lot, and couldn't wait to see her.

"You know, Hermione, I know that you said no," I then noticed that he'd gone a little quiet, and more serious. I sat down on the bed, and he collapsed next to me. "But, just to put a nice ending to one of the best weeks we've ever had…" He had gone bright red, as he leant over to kiss me. It wasn't one of those ones he'd been giving me when we were saying goodnight to each other, there was more passion then that. I realised what was going on.

"Ron, no." I told him. He gave a sigh. "I just, I don't know, want to get pregnant, not for a little while yet."

"Well, there's always protection." I noticed that Ron had gone even redder. I tried not to laugh at how red he was. I gave a sigh.

"I don't know Ron." I thought about it. I had two options: One, not do it, and feel bad for putting such a bad end to the weekend, or there was Two: Do it, and use protection. I decided that that Option Two was better.

Ron was sighing now, unbuttoning his shirt. I made up my mind, and pulled him onto the bed.

"Alright, only if we both use…stuff." He smiled at me. "Anyway, I think that it's been too long since it happened between us." I pulled him into a kiss, taking over the undoing of his buttons. It'd been too long since this had happened, I thought as I pulled Ron onto me, as I was now lying on my back, his lips all over me. If I was going to regret anything, it would be that I hadn't let him do this sooner.

* * *

When we got back, England seemed rainier then I remembered it. However, the rain soon cleared up, and Ron and I loved the feel of being back home pretty soon.

Rose seemed to have missed us. When we went to pick her up from my mother's, she lifted her arms out to me, and laughed when she saw Ron.

"How's she been?" I asked my mother, acknowledging the absence of my dad immediately.

"Oh, she's been an absolute darling. She looks just like Ron." We both eyed Ron's hair and eyes, which had been given to Rose. Ron just shrugged and picked Rose out of my arms, kissing her head. I smiled at the scene. I had been right; Ron was a good father.

"I wonder if I could get tickets for Paris," My mother said thoughtfully. "Your father could use a week or so away."

"How's he been?" I asked. My mother was stiff.

"I'll be honest with you Hermione, as you're not a little girl anymore," She took a deep breath. "You're dad thinks that it might be a tumour." I froze.

"A-A tumour?" I asked shakily. She nodded.

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"It-it means that he could have cancer." I told him. My mother looked just the same I did: pale, and sick.

"We haven't checked it though." My mother said. "So, it's probably not."

"Mum, please check." I told her. "It could save his life." She nodded.

"I've booked a hospital appointment for this afternoon, at four o' clock." I nodded.

"So, your dad could die?" Ron asked. I looked over to him. He seemed a little paler then usual. I nodded.

"If it's not treated."

"Oh." Ron looked ready to faint. "Oh."

**Well, there's Chapter 20! Hope you're enjoying the story so far!**

**Read and Review!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

June rolled around to July. Harry's twenty sixth birthday started to draw nearer and nearer. Ron and I went back to work, leaving Rose with either Molly or my parents. Ginny had decided to apply for the still unfilled post of Senior Quidditch Correspondent, while staying at home with Albus and James. She always seemed tired whenever I saw her.

"Why don't you get Molly to look after them?" I asked Ginny one Sunday at The Burrow.

"Mum has too much to do." Ginny answered. "She has Rose to look after, not to mention all the other grandchildren coming round."

Two weeks before Harry's Birthday, I went to visit my mum. I needed to know if dad was alright, as I hadn't spoken to him in weeks.

"So, he went to that hospital appointment?" I asked. She nodded. "So? What's wrong with him?" Mum sighed, trying not to cry.

"They called us up and said that it was definitely a tumour." My eyes watered.

"Oh." I choked. She suddenly looked panicked.

"But they said that he was lucky, they caught it early enough to start treating it."

"Oh thank Merlin." I breathed. "So, he'll be OK?"

"Of course, they're treating him already."

"That's good." I knew that now Dad was fine. I finished the cup of tea I was drinking and stood up. "I better go and pick up Rose." Mum nodded.

"Bring her over to see your father at the weekend or something." I nodded and disapparated out of the house.

* * *

"Harry, tell us what you want, please."

"You don't have to get me anything, guys, I'm fine."

"Mate, it's your birthday, we're getting you something, whether you like it or not."

"I told you, I don't want anything!"

"Harry, there must be something you want!"

"I don't know! Look, Ron, Hermione, if you two really want to buy me something, then you can try and surprise me!" Ron and I sighed in unison. Harry, apparently, didn't want anything for his birthday, which was terribly frustrating for us, as we wanted to buy him something. Gone were the days when we could just send him chocolates by owl, or Broomstick Servicing Kits, which he already had. He was family, which meant that we had to get him proper presents. Before we could badger him more, Harry took the chance to disapparate, leaving Ron and I to sigh even more loudly.

"Now what?" Ron asked, banging his fist on the worktop. This had been in The Burrow's kitchen, after Sunday lunch. I just shrugged and let out another sigh.

"I guess we'll just have to talk to Ginny." I told him.

"But she'd tell Harry."

"No she wouldn't. Ron, Ginny's better at keeping secrets then you."

* * *

"Hermione, do you think I look old?" I looked up from my book. Ron was standing in front of the bedroom mirror, eying his reflection. "I mean, I'm not seventeen, but I'm not sixty seven either."

"Ron, if Elliott Lawrence is saying things to you again, you ignore him." I told him, going back to my book.

"It's hard, Hermione, especially when he's so much younger."

"Hardly. He's what, twenty four? You're only about twenty six."

"He's actually turning twenty three, in August."

"And that matters why?" Ron sighed.

"Hermione, Lawrence is a very powerful man, believe it or not." I looked at him questionably. "As much as he's a git, he's, I'm very disgusted to say, clever. The Head of our Department thinks that moving him up to the same position as Harry and I is a very smart move."

"Shows what he knows." I muttered. Ron didn't smile. "Ron, I wouldn't worry."

"Hermione, Lawrence still goes on about getting you for himself."

"Well, it's too late for that, I'm married to a big loveable git with fiery red hair," Ron let himself grin. "And I'm quite happy here, in this perfect house, with a daughter. Having kids sort of makes it a bit of a no-go for trying to nick someone's wife." Ron smiled a little more.

"You know what Hermione? You're right. I should just ignore him. You chose me." I smiled. He still took pride in that fact, even now. I didn't see why he was so proud, although I was flattered, and no doubt happy, that he had married me.

"I know I did Ron, so you don't need to worry. Just make some smart comment to Elliott and then walk off if he says anything."

* * *

Ron seemed to do just that. Whenever he came home from work, he would grin at the smallest thing, and then, amazingly, offer to help me with whatever I was doing. Normally he would just sit on the sofa.

Harry's birthday passed without much going on. The intruder who had broken in a few months back made no sign of ever returning, although Ron and I had stopped thinking about it ages ago. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe Pig had knocked the picture over, although it seemed highly unlikely, as he was at Molly's, after delivering her a letter earlier that day.

Rose just seemed to get more and more beautiful each day. However, whenever I tried to tidy the house, just leaving her sitting in her high chair for a few minutes, or her cot, she'd start wailing loudly. I was lucky if Ron was home, and managed to calm her down, but when he wasn't, I came close to tears. I knew that this was just a stage, and it would pass eventually, but that didn't stop it from annoying me.

One evening, Ron came home from work, looking angry, his face red, his ears beetroot. I sat up when I saw him, alarmed by how upset he was.

"What's the matter?" I asked as Ron sat down next to me at the Dining table. Ron gave an angry sigh.

"Do you remember the party that your mum and dad had, before I proposed to you?" I nodded, remembering extremely well. "Well, guess who I just met down the road?" I shrugged, trying to think. "Robert Bloody Sawyer!" I closed my eyes and groaned.

"You've got to be kidding."

"No, I'm not."

Robert Sawyer was possibly the most boring, yet stuck up git in the whole of Britain- no, Europe. He was just as stuck up as Lawrence, although more of a nerd, with thin oily, slicked back hair, and thin rectangular glasses. Oh, how I hated him! What a smug, horrible little git he was at my parents Christmas party!

_Flashback_

_It was just three days before Christmas in 1998. Ron was trying to figure out what to wear to my parents Christmas party, as practically everybody there were going to be muggles. I gave a little sigh. _

"_Ron, they're practically the same, just choose one." I smiled. Ron, who had been so busy staring at the muggle suits, looked up at me, and his mouth fell open. _

"_You look amazing!" He gaped. I smiled. _

"_Always the tone of surprise." I teased. He gave a grin. _

"_You do though!" Even I have to admit, I didn't doubt Ron on this. I was wearing a red dress, that seemed to accent my curves in all the right places. I'd found it in a old muggle shop and fallen in love with it. It was just above the knee, and so was not too short, nor too long. _

"_Well, maybe I'd like to wear it out somewhere, like my parents Christmas party tonight!" Ron gave a sigh and went back to picking a suit. I decided to leave him for a moment to decide what to wear. I went out to the kitchen and got myself a glass of water. There was nothing else to do. I reapplied my make-up and went back to the bedroom that Ron and I shared. Ron was just straightening out his jacket. He caught my eye in the mirror. He grinned. _

"_I'm ready to go now." I smiled. _

"_I can see that Ron."_

"_So, how are we getting there?" _

"_I thought that we'd apparate." Ron nodded. "I mean, not directly into my parents house, but down the road or something. I mean, how's it going to look if we appear in the middle of my parents dining room out of nowhere?" Ron gave a laugh and grabbed my hand, before we apparated. _

_We appeared quite a few feet away from my parents front door. As soon as Ron seemed to have recovered from the sensation of apparating, we walked up to my parents front door and gave a loud knock. My mother opened it immediately. _

"_Hermione, Ron, I've been wondering when you two would get here!" She said, pulling us in. The party was in full swing. The hallway was crowded with people, drinking glasses of champagne and pints of beer. "Do you two want a drink?"_

"_I'll have some red wine," I said before Ron could speak. I'd sort of forgotten that Ron probably wouldn't like muggle beer, as it wasn't as strong as the Wizarding World alcohol. "And Ron will stick with a pint of Guinness."_

"_What's Guinness?" Ron whispered to me when my mother smiled and went off to the kitchen to fetch our drinks. _

"_A muggle alcoholic drink- just try to pretend that you enjoy it." I added as my mother appeared with our drinks. _

_The party was quite nice. I ended up chatting with some of my parents colleagues, and chatting to some of the nice school mates I'd had. I noticed that some of the female company were eying Ron with their beady eyes. I held onto his hand tightly, and said with as much politeness in my voice as I could muster that Ron was my boyfriend, and that we'd known each other since Secondary School age. I noticed that the girls looked a little disappointed, but managed to smile and say how lucky I was. I just smiled at them and clung to Ron. _

_Ron was so polite to everyone. It was unbelievable. _

"_Ah, so this is Hermione!" I looked up at the sound of my name. A woman with blonde hair styled in a bee hive was coming towards Ron and I. Behind her was my parents, and some oily looking man around my own age. I smiled at her briefly. _

"_Hermione, this is Mrs Sawyer." My father said, gesturing to the woman with the beehive. I smiled at her._

"_Please to meet you!" I told her, shaking her hand. _

"_And this is my son, Robert." The man shook my hand. It was rather slick, and I made a note to wash my hands afterwards. _

"_Celia, this is my daughter's boyfriend, Ronald Weasley."_

"_Just call me Ron." Ron smiled at the Sawyers and shook their hands. As he finished shaking Robert's hand, he caught my eye and grinned, thinking the same thing about the man's hand as me._

"_What a pleasure, Ronald." Robert said. His voice made me think that he had a nasal problem. I tried not to laugh. Ron stared at him._

"_Yes, it is, isn't it, Rob?" I smiled at Ron, clinging to him more. _

_As the party wore on, I found that Robert was trying was trying to stick to us like glue. When Ron and I had gotten away for a moment, Ron said that Robert couldn't stick to us because he was to oily. I laughed, until I saw Robert come round the corner. _

_Near ten o' clock my parents thought that they'd put on some music and let anyone who wanted to dance. Ron and I grinned and were on of the first people to start dancing. Eventually, everyone was soon joining us. I noticed that Robert was looking rather fed up as he washed us from across the room. I pulled Ron's forehead against my own, our noses touched slightly as we started to share a kiss. _

_Near midnight, Robert came up to us. He looked more smug then ever. _

"_Hermione, do you mind if I just speak to Ronald for a minute?" I hesitated, until Ron put a large hand on my shoulder. _

"_It's OK," He whispered, loud enough for only me to hear. "I'll be back in no time." I nodded, and let of his hand. As he and Robbie walked off towards my parents kitchen, I was overcome with the sudden urge to follow them, spy on them and eavesdrop. I knew that I looked pretty stupid just standing there, so I started to follow them. _

_They were the only two in the kitchen. I stopped outside, just out of view of the doorway, but close enough to hear every word they said. _

"_I've noticed that you and Hermione are quite close." Robert said. I imagined him smirking and fought the urge to vomit. _

"_Well, we would be, we're going out." I grinned. _

"_Ronald, what is it that you do?" I breathed in sharply. Ron was an Auror, but Robert couldn't know that, as he was muggle. I could hear Ron hesitate. _

"_I-er- catch-er- people…yeah, I'm one of them please-men…"_

"_You mean a policeman?" _

"_Yeah! That!" I gave a quiet sigh. _

"_How much do you earn?"_

"_Er- a bit."_

"_Hmm." I could hear Robert sneer. "Well, it shows by your hand me down suit." Robert was being sarcastic. I frowned to myself. I was disliking this Robert fellow more and more by the second. _

"_Oh, er-"_

"_And the fact that you keep on saying "Er" isn't so good either."_

"_What point are you trying to make?"_

"_Stay away from my Hermione." I tried my best not to storm in the kitchen. I bit my lip hard. _

"_What?" I was glad to hear that Ron sounded bloody furious._

"_Listen, from what Hermione's parents have told me, she's been brought up well, accepted into a special private school-"_

"_Which I also attended."_

"_Yes, that is a mystery." I bit my lip even harder and closed my eyes tightly. Colours exploded underneath my eyelids. "Oh, and not to mention the fact that she's gorgeous-"_

"_That's my Effing girlfriend you're talking about!"_

"_Well, from what I've heard, Hermione and I would make the perfect couple." Forget keeping a low profile! I stormed into the kitchen, tasting blood on my lips from biting so hard. _

"_I'd never go out with you!" I shot at Robert. He just smirked at me. _

"_Poor Hermione, gone demented." I was fuming. I noticed that, beneath Ron's shock, he looked murderous. "And they say that you're smart."_

"_If any girl were to go with you, they'd have to be three things: One, blind, as you're a slimy, oily little prick. Two, deaf, as you have the most boring and desperate voice in the whole world! And three, not just desperate, but Effing desperate!" Robert just laughed. I couldn't help myself. I pulled back my arm and punched him. I punched him as hard as I could. I heard a crack, and realised I'd broken his nose. I threw another punch and gave him a black eye. Ron stood there looking appalled, and amused. "Well, at least it covers your oily face." I turned to Ron. I was breathing hard. "Let's go home. I've had enough of stuck up gits for tonight." Ron nodded, still looking shocked. I turned back to Robert. "And just so you know, Ron is highly respected at his work. His job is dangerous, and that's just one sign of how brave he is. Bravery is something that he has, that you don't. That and looks." Robert was still moaning in pain. "Let's go Ron. Robert's disgusting me."_

_We went out of the kitchen, where my parents and Mrs Sawyer were standing, astounded. _

"_My poor baby!" Shrieked Mrs Sawyer, running into the kitchen._

"_Mum, Dad, Ron and I are going home." I said. They just nodded, looking just as shocked as Ron. After all, I'm not known as a violent person._

_Ron and I left the house and apparated back to our flat. As soon as we were back in our bedroom, I collapsed on the bed, pulled my knees in towards my chest and buried my head there. I felt Ron touch my shoulder gently. _

"_Don't cry." He said gently. _

"_I'm not." I mumbled, although now I felt a few tears sting my face. I lifted my face to look at him. "Ron, don't worry about Robert." It was only then that I noticed that Ron's eyes were looking wet too. _

"_I won't. It's just-"_

"_Don't you dare say a word!" I growled at him. "Don't you bloody dare Ronald Weasley!"_

"_Hermione, Robert made a point. I'm out of your league." My eyes narrowed. "I mean, the git was right. Everything I own is bloody second hand!" I pulled Ron onto the bed next to me, put a finger to his lips to quieten him, before my lips replaced my finger. _

"_Ron, just think about how I punched Robert's face." Ron grinned a little. _

"_God, I love to see you punch people like him and Malfoy."_

"_Ron, let's just forget tonight. Not all of it, but the bits where Robert is concerned." Ron nodded and I kissed him again. "Anyway, who'd want a slimy, oily little git like him, when they could have a handsome, red-headed man like you?" _

_Flashback_

"How's our dear friend?" I asked sarcastically, bouncing Rose in my lap, where she giggled at us.

"His nose looks crooked." Ron said, smiling a little. "And when I saw him, he flinched and ran away."

"When why were you angry?"

"Oh, because he said some things to me. That was when I raised a fist at him, and he remembered what you said about me having a dangerous job." Ron grinned to himself. "I just reminded myself that I'm better then him."

**God, another baddy... But he's not going to come back again :)**

**Chapter 22 up soon. **

**Happy Valentine's Day! (Although I usually hate it, nice day to put up a new chapter!)**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Hermione!" I looked up from the book I'd been reading. Ginny was standing in front of me, looking ecstatic. She'd just flooed to our house, I realised, as there were emerald flames dying down in our fireplace. "I have to tell you something!"

"You're pregnant again?" I asked, sitting up, ready for the hug I knew she'd give me.

"No! I got the job, the job as the Quidditch Correspondent!" My eyes widened in shock.

"That's brilliant! Well done!" Just as predicted, she flew straight into my arms, hugging me and squeezing me tightly. Rose started wailing on the floor, annoyed at being ignored. Ginny looked at me with an almost amused expression.

"You and Ron must spoil her rotten." Ginny said. I just rolled my eyes and went to pick Rose up, where she immediately stopped crying.

"Ron, maybe, but I don't…well, I try not to, but it's hard, especially since she looks exactly like Ron." I thought for a minute. "Also, what if she really needs something, like a bottle, or a nappy change? What would happen if I ignored it?" I visibly shuddered at the thought. Ginny just smiled. "What?"

"Nothing." She said, shrugging. "I guess I was just thinking how good a mother you are."

"What do you mean?" I asked, sounding puzzled. She just smiled more.

"It's because you're worried about Rose." I understood.

"Thanks." I rocked Rose a little more. "So, does Harry know?" Ginny went red, and I could imagine what the answer was. "I'll take that as a yes." Ginny nodded meekly. "And you-?" She nodded again, quicker, going the infamous Weasley red.

"Yes. He's looking after James and Albus now. So, Rose is going through that clingy stage then?" I nodded.

"Is Albus?" Ginny nodded.

"I can still remember that with James. God, sometimes I felt like I was going to rip my hair out." I noticed that Ginny reached up and started rubbing at her head softly for a moment. "But don't worry, it doesn't last forever." Ginny added, seeing my expression.

* * *

Despite Ginny's reassurances, Rose continued to keep me and Ron awake every night. I would wake up not only to Rose crying, but Ron groaning at me to go get her.

"Please!" Ron all but shouted over Rose's crying. I glared at him. If looks could kill, then he would of died. In fact, Ron cringed a little.

"Ron, I have to go to work too!"

"Hermione, just go and get her!""I got her last time! You can go and get her!"

"Why is she crying anyway?"

"Because she's going through a clingy stage, Ronald, it happens to all babies."

"But we have lives too!" At the look on my face, he quickly changed tactic. "I mean, surely she doesn't need to be with us all the time!"

"Ron, why do you think I have to leave work early? It's because she cries, even when she's with your parents!" Ron just stared at me for a second. I decided to use a softer approach. "Ron, please go get her."

"If I do, will I get a kiss off my lovely wife?" Ron grinned at me while he spoke. I gave a laugh.

"Yes! Now go!" Ron leapt off the bed with surprising speed. I wondered why it seemed such a bother to go and check on Rose. Then I remembered how Ron sometimes fell asleep as soon as he came in from work on the sofa.

Ron came back quite soon.

"Ron, are you sure that she's asleep?"

"Positive." I eyed him suspiciously.

"You didn't seem that long." Ron went a little red.

"Well, I'm sure that she pretty much calmed down immediately. Now where's that kiss?" I smiled as he climbed back into the bed and leaned over to kiss him.

"There." I told him. "Now, I need to go to sleep, I've got to be up in…" I looked at the alarm clock on my bedside table. "Three and a half hours." Just as I was about to lay down and try to regain some sleep, Ron was kissing me again. "What's that all about?" I asked. Ron just grinned and kissed me again.

"Is a man not allowed to kiss his wife?" He asked innocently.

"Not if he's wanting something, but not telling his wife." Ron continued to kiss me, and it suddenly occurred to me. "Ron, it's half past three in the morning!"

"So?"

"So, we both have work later, we need to sleep."

"Hermione, come on." I laughed at the expression on his face.

"Ron, it's not as if you're sex starved or anything." But I gave in. Just as he was about to lift my pyjama top off, I broke away from him. "But…"

"But what?" He asked, his breathing heavy.

"But…" I hesitated. "We have to use contraceptive spells, both of us." Ron groaned and fell on his back. "What?"

"Hermione, I'm tired of all these bloody contraceptive charms!"

"Well, I just don't want to get pregnant, not for a little while…"

"Hermione, that whole thing…it was months ago!"

"Ron, you know how it would feel, you know…and another baby would just keep us up more!" I noticed that Ron was looking sort of down. "Look, maybe in a few months or something, but for now, it's best." Ron nodded.

"Right, night Hermione." I gave an angry sigh.

"Stop acting like a big baby, Ronald," I told him, slapping his arm softly. "I didn't say no, I just said I didn't want to, not unless we're both using them spells."

"But I'm sick of using spells!" Ron said, sitting up next to me. "Just sick of it." I could fell tears in my eyes.

"Ron, that shouldn't be the reason why you don't want to!" I cried quietly, not wanting Rose to wake up. "The only difference with the spell is that I shouldn't get pregnant! That's all! It's the same mechanics, and it should still be with the person that you love!" The tears continued to slip down my cheeks as I buried my head in my knees. Ron wiped a big tear away with his thumb.

"Look, I'm sorry," I looked up at him. "You're right, like always, but, I dunno, maybe it's just that it sort of kills the mood, you know…having to stop to apply charms." I sniffed, but nodded. "Not that I'm complaining!" I laughed. "I mean, sex is always great, especially with you!"

"Do you realise how red you've gone?" I teased. This caused him to go even redder. He shook his head. "Well, let's just say that it's so red that if I didn't see a body attached to your head, then I'd think you were a beetroot with ginger hair." Ron smiled. "Now, I believe that we were in the middle of something that I'd rather we finished tonight." Ron grinned even more and pressed his lips once again to mine.

* * *

The months went by quite fast. August passed by, with Ginny's birthday. In September, James's second birthday came and went, just before mine. For James's birthday, all of the family just had a sort of special tea. As for my birthday, well, Ron and I decided to go out to dinner, although we had Molly and Arthur stay round ours, just in case.

"Any trouble?" Ron asked when we arrived home. Rose was up in her room, peacefully asleep. Arthur shook his head.

"Ron, I don't think that they're coming back." I told him. He nodded.

"But it's a good thing that he cares enough to worry." Molly said. I nodded. "But, as Hermione says, there hasn't been an attack since May, which was four months ago now, dear."

"I know, I just don't want to let my guard down, and then something happens." I nodded, trying to do it sympathetically. I knew that Ron just wanted to keep me and Rose safe, but it irritated me a little sometimes. "Anyway, mum, dad, you two should get home, it's late."

"Oh, Ronald!" Molly said. "We're not about to break, are we?" Ron went a little red, but grinned at me slightly.

"No mum." He mumbled. He grinned a little more behind his parents backs, and I couldn't help but smile back.

After Molly and Arthur had gone back to The Burrow, Rose woke up and started wailing, like everynight.

"I'll go get her." Ron and I both said together. We caught each other's eye and laughed.

"I'll do it." I told him.

"No, it's you're birthday, I'll do it." I decided to just let him do it, after all, like Ron said, it was my birthday.

**Another chapter done! I better start working on the next one now! :)**

**I've just fallen in love with Dirty Dancing again, as well as Leo DiCaprio in Romeo+Juliet ;) But, of course, Rupert's the best :) Not that I don't like Dan, I just like Rupert! **

**READ AND REVIEW!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Another chapter up! Writers Block gone! Next Chappie already being written!**

Chapter 23

"Hermione, I'm home!" Ron called.

"OK Ron!" I called back. Big mistake. My voice sounded weak, and I sniffed a little too loudly.

"Hermione, are you OK?" Ron asked. I heard him coming to The Living Room.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I called quickly- too late.

"What are you watching?" He asked, looking at the television. Romeo and Juliet- the one with guns instead of swords, and Leonardo DiCaprio- was playing.

"Nothing, it's rubbish," I mumbled quickly. "How was work?"

"Great, seriously though, what are you watching?" I sighed, half laughing at Ron's persistence.

"It's Romeo and Juliet." I told him. When he looked at me questionably I said; "It's about two people who fall in love, Ron." Ron's face dawned with understanding.

"OK then." Ron looked at the screen. "It looks violent."

"That's because it's also a tragedy." Ron jumped suddenly, as Romeo started shooting at Tybalt.

"Bloody Hell," He muttered. "Why's he doing that?"

"Because they hate each other."

"So, who's the guy with the… what's it called again?"

"A gun."

"Right, who's he?"

"That's Romeo."

"And the guy who just fell in the pool thing?"

"Tybalt, Juliet's cousin." I decided that Ron needed to know what was really going on. "Basically, Ron, there's two houses: Montague, that's Romeo's house, and Capulet, that's Juliet's. And Tybalt's. The two houses hate each other, although no one really knows why. Romeo sees Juliet, they fall in love, and get married. But now that Romeo's killed Tybalt, he's in trouble. He's going to be banished."

"And who's the guy with a cross on his back?" Ron asked.

"That's Friar Lawrence, the man who wed them."

"And is he a Montag, or a-"

"Ron, it's pronounced _Montague_."

"Right, or a…"

"Capulet."

"Yeah."

"Neither. Not everyone's part of the battle."

"And who's the old bat?"

"Ron, that's Juliet's Nurse!"

"Juliet has a nurse?"

"Yes! Back in them days, or when the play was written anyway, Juliet would have had a Nurse. They would have been very close, closer then a mother and daughter."

"What?" Ron yelped.

"That was how it was." I told him, shrugging slightly.

"And, her, is she Juliet?"

"No, that's her mum. The man who's dressed all fancy is Paris, who wants to marry Juliet."

"But she's already married to Romeo, unless…" He looked horrified at the nod I gave. "They got married in _secret_?"

"Yes Ron, only they, the Priest and Juliet's Nurse knew really."

"Mum would of killed us if we'd done that."

"But Ron, this play was written a very long time ago, back when your father chose who you'd marry. If you were a girl, that is."

"Why if you were a girl?"

"Because back then, men thought that they were far better then women, which is complete rubbish. Back then, either your husband or your father practically _owned _you."

"So, if we'd both lived back then-"

"No Ron, we would not be married, at least, I don't think." Ron's eyes widened when Romeo came up to Juliet's room, and they started…er, well, it's pretty much obvious.

"God, I think I can relate to this guy." Ron said. I raised an eyebrow. "Well, I would of done that if I wasn't allowed to marry you." I gave him a small smile. "By the way, I can't understand a thing that they're saying."

"That's because this is the language they used hundreds of years ago." Instead of getting up and making dinner, Ron and I stayed snuggled up on the sofa until the end of the movie. Like always, I cried at the end. Even Ron had a tear in his eye.

"How come they both died?" Ron asked, wiping a tear off his nose gently.

"That's just how the play goes. Every time I watch this, I always hope that some how, by sheer miracle, that they'll both live happily in Mantua- you know, where Romeo went."

"This really gets to you." Ron commented. "Well, especially if you're married to someone you love dearly." I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"When I first watched this, I couldn't stop thinking about you." Ron grinned.

"How's Rosie?"

"As perfect as perfect." I sighed. "Slept since we got back from Ginny's.""Does she ever stop sleeping?" Ron asked, grinning at me. His eyes were still wet.

"Ron, what do you expect? I mean, she is your daughter…" I giggled when Ron pretended to look pained. After a moment, he grinned again.

"So, what's for dinner?" I laughed.

"You always say that, Ron."

"Yeah, but sitting here for this long after dinner, right after work, well, it makes a man hungry."

* * *

November came around eventually. So much seemed to be happening, so much that even I couldn't keep track of it all. Bill's birthday came around near the end, and so, of course, Molly had to throw a big sort of party, like she always did on one of the family's birthday. Then December came.

As well as the fact that there was Christmas, there was also Albus' birthday, on the 15th December, and then Rose's, on 22nd December. Molly was beside herself, doing so much at The Burrow; Decorating for the approaching Christmas, probably knitting everyone's jumpers, making home-made toffees and sweets, doing the Sunday Roast every week, making extra baby jumpers and things for the baby's birthdays, looking after Rose and all her other grandchildren whenever we were at work, and then, of course, she and Arthur had to find time for themselves. I felt deep admiration for how hard she worked, and tried to help out with the Roasts and looking after James and Albus whenever I could, if Harry and Ginny wanted to go out, or had to work odd shifts on weekends. I was tired enough already, what with how much I had to work on House-Elf rights.

On Christmas Morning, Ron and I were woken up by the sound of someone apparating from outside out bedroom.

"What's that?" Ron mumbled groggily. Then…

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Harry yelled. Ron and I jumped about a foot in the air.

"Shit!" Ron cursed, trying to cover himself up. Harry wrinkled his nose at us.

"Seriously? You're sleeping in on Christmas, _naked_?" He asked. He shut his eyes, as if trying to block the image of us out. Well, I can understand that.

"What are you doing here?" I yawned, trying to glare at him. But of course, when you're tired, and in mid-yawn, it's very difficult.

"It's Christmas." Harry said. "I would of thought that everyone would be up by now."

"Well, we're not, because-"

"I don't want to know, Ron, I don't." Harry grinned. "I've got to get back to Grimmauld Place, Ginny's up with the boys…" Harry apparated away. Ron groaned and his head fell back onto his pillow.

"Ron, we might as well get up, there's no chance of going back to sleep."

"I hate bloody Christmas." I laughed.

"So you don't want to find out what I got you then?" Ron's head shot up, almost knocking me over in the process.

"Heck yeah!" He said, pulling on a pair of boxers. I laughed and put a dressing gown on. The wailing in the next room told me that Rose was more or less ready to get up. I sighed at how perfect this all seemed. Getting up, I smiled at Ron and left the room.

* * *

Around midday, Ron and I apparated to The Burrow with Rose. The snow was falling lightly, and Rose was giggling, trying to catch a few flakes in her hands, marvelling at how they disappeared soon after they touched her skin. Ron and I trudged through the blanket of snow and into the Burrow. It was quite cold outside, and I was worried that Rose might catch a cold.

As soon as Ron and I had entered the Burrow, we were almost knocked over by red headed children chasing each other around the house. Molly was in the kitchen, being helped by Andromeda, Ginny and all of our sister-in-law's, Arthur was engaged in a conversation with Charlie and Percy, George and Bill were being pinned to the floor by more children, and soon, Ron was being pinned to the floor by Victoire and I was standing over a hot stove, chatting to Ginny about recent newspaper articles. The Burrow was full of sparkling lights, that flashed, and the angel on top the Christmas Tree was singing soulful tunes.

Around two, just before the dinner was ready, my parents showed up. All we could all do was just stare at my dad for a few seconds, before we realised we were being rude. My dad was _bald_. Not balding, proper bald.

"Merry Christmas!" My father beamed at all of us. Ron was the first to speak.

"Merry Christmas, Richard." He beamed. I snapped out of my shock.

"Yes, Merry Christmas dad!" I exclaimed, hugging my parents.

"That's Teddy?" My dad asked, pointing to him. I nodded. Teddy beamed at him.

"Happy Christmas Mr Granger!" He said, changing his hair to blue.

"Merry Christmas Teddy," My dad said. I noticed that he had a bag full of…presents! "Hermione tells me that you've found an interest in football lately." Teddy nodded.

"I quite like Chelsea, as their team's blue." He grinned. "Although, they need to work on their actual playing." My dad chuckled and pulled out a present wrapped in red and green wrapping paper.

"Here you go. I think that maybe Santa left this under our tree by accident." He handed Teddy the present. Teddy ripped the paper off with excitement, before he let out a sort of scream of delight.

"IT'S A CHELSEA KIT! MY OWN CHELSEA KIT!" He yelled. Andromeda beamed at my parents.

"Isn't that wonderful Ted?" Andromeda said, bending down and looking at the dark blue kit.

"It's gonna match my hair!" Teddy proclaimed, wrinkling his nose and turning his hair the exact shade of the football kit in his lap. "Can I wear it now?" He asked Andromeda. Andromeda gave a laugh.

"Maybe after Dinner Ted, otherwise you might spill food all down it."

As it turned out, my parents had brought presents for everyone in the family. I know that Arthur was certainly pleased with his: a kit for making your own little aeroplanes.

After dinner, as promised, Teddy changed into his football kit. He looked quite funny, what with his recently changed eyes and hair matching his new kit. Of course, all of us women doted on him, telling him how adorable he looked. He went bright red and just shrugged, although he was grinning.

At eight, Ron and I decided to apparate home and put Rose to bed. After promising all of the Weasley's that we'd return for Boxing Day, and that my parents could also come the next day (Arthur wanted to know more about planes), we apparated home, full of Molly's delicious food, wearing, of course, our sweaters.

**OK, I know that it's kind of randomn, but don't worry, Hugo's coming up very soon! (I'm writing the next chapter about New Years Eve...and a bottle of Firewhiskey is involved!)**

**PLEASE Read and Review! Nothing too harsh though, I'm very stressed lately, and a heart attack is not what I need if another chapter wants to be put up. **

**CHAPTER 24 (Favourite Number, hopefully my favourite chapter too) will be up!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Please!"

"I already said yes!"

"Did you?"

"Yes!"

"Well…I didn't hear."

"That's because you were too busy talking, Ronald." Ron just shrugged and grinned. God, I couldn't stay mad at him for long anymore. "So, who are we inviting round for New Year's Eve then?"

"Well, I spoke about it with dad-"

"You spoke to your dad about this before asking?" I raised by eyebrow. He just grinned and nodded.

"Anyway, I spoke to dad about it, and he and mum would be fine spending the evening "By themselves", as they put it."

"By themselves?" I asked, failing to force back laughter. Ron seemed to look quite sick.

"Yeah. Said they'd look after any of the kids." Ron visibly shuddered. "Not a nice image, you know, imagining your parents doing it."

"OK, OK! Too much information Ronald!" I told him, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Can we have Firewhiskey?" Ron asked. I just nodded, turning back to my book. "Are you always reading a book, Hermione?"

"Yes, Ronald, I am!" I snapped at him. "Which is something you should try sometime!"

"I read!" He protested. "Come on, can't we just have a snowball fight?" I shook my head.

"No, Ron, it's cold outside." And I turned back to my book.

Suddenly, I felt strong arms wrap themselves around my waist and pick me up. I heard my book fall to the ground with a soft thump.

"Ron, what are you doing?" I asked.

"We're going out." He said. My eyes widened.

"No Ron!" I all but screamed. But he didn't take any notice of me of course. "Put me down!"

Ron opened the back door and bounded outside, still holding me. I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Ron, Ron no!" I laughed. He suddenly stopped and let go off me, sending me into the snow. "Ron!" I picked up a handful of snow and chucked it at him. It hit him square in the chest.

"Oh, I'm going to get you." He said. He scooped down and made the hugest "snowball" I'd ever seen.

"No!" I screamed. He chucked it at me, and I just managed to duck in time. It hit the top of my head instead of my face, as intended. My hair started to get wet. I scooped up my own snowball and chucked it in his hair. Soon, we were having our own snowball war in our back garden.

"Mrs Weasley?" Ron and I both stopped and looked over our garden fence. Our neighbour, Mrs Gren, was staring over the fence at us. "Are you two OK?"

"Yeah, we're fine!" I shouted back, taking advantage of my husbands pause. Ron got it full in the face, and we were soon back in our snowball war. I heard Mrs Gren tutting disapprovingly at us as she went back inside, muttering about us "acting our age" and "bad example for children". Then we heard her muttering "keeping us all awake at night, shagging", and Ron and I burst out laughing.

"Old bat." Ron muttered. He was bright red, half cold, half hot. "If anyone's the bad example to children, it's her. Seriously though, stalking around and spying on people, muttering to herself."

"Ron, we should get inside." I said. We were both drenched through to our skin. "Come on, before we catch our death of cold out here."

We both headed back inside. I was starting to shiver violently. Ron looked no better.

"Maybe that wasn't a good idea." He stated. I stared at him.

"I liked it. Just…it's cold." We both caught each other's faces, and laughed. I sneezed, and Ron looked worriedly at me. "Ron, I'm fine." Ron gave a cough.

"Come on, let's take a bath." Ron suggested. When he saw that we were both as worse as each other, he grinned. "Together." Ron wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. I slapped him on the arm weakly. I was really feeling cold.

"Fine- but no You-Know-What!" I called after him as he bounded up the stairs.

* * *

The following consequence of our snowball fight was that I had a cold for about four days. The symptoms were just disappearing on New Years Eve.

Ron and I had brought several bottles of Firewhiskey, which we were now keeping in the fridge. We'd invited not only Harry and Ginny around, but all of Ron's brothers (including Charlie, but not Percy, who had work the next day for some reason) and their wives (again, no Audrey, she said she didn't like to get drunk). So, in total, that made about eleven of us. We'd invited Andromeda around, but she'd declined, saying that she wanted to look after Teddy.

Around half past five, Ron and I went and dropped Rose off at Molly and Arthur's. James, Albus, Fred, Roxanne, Victoire, Dominique and Louis were already there, crawling around the floor and running about. I felt sort of sorry for Molly, having to look after all of these grandkids, but I knew that I couldn't cancel the little get together. Not now.

As soon as Ron and I had arrived home, we started to get ready. I took a quick shower and washed my hair, while Ron put some food in the oven. This was what my parents did when I was little, as they had my grandparents and Aunts and Uncles round. As soon as I'd stepped out the shower, Ron had raced in, stripping as he came up the stairs, so that he was naked before he even reached the bathroom. I tried to avert my eyes, but this was Ron we're talking about. Who wouldn't look at his muscles?

By the time Ron had stepped out the shower, I'd changed and dried my hair with a quick drying spell. He just stared at how quick I'd changed.

"What?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Well, get changed, we have guests coming."

I left Ron in the bedroom and went downstairs to keep an eye on the food. The house seemed, as always, quiet, now that Rose wasn't here. I decided to just do a quick tidy up. I walked into the Living Room when I heard a high pitched _Squeak!_ I looked down and saw that Rose's toys were all over the place. I sighed and started picking all her toys up. Sometimes, but not a lot of course, I regretted the fact that Rose was still a baby. Then I'd realised that I didn't want her to grow up too fast. She was my baby. And Ron's. Our baby.

Just as I'd finished putting away all of Rose's toys, I could hear the sounds of Flooing and Apparating. I went back to the Living Room, and saw Ron with Harry, Ginny, Bill and Fleur. I couldn't help but feel slightly envious of Fleur. She looked stunning. I wondered if I even compared to her at this moment in time. Ron seemed a little awestruck, but didn't really trip over his feet to greet her. This made me smile a little. Fleur smiled at me and pulled me into a graceful hug. I have to admit, she smelt nice. Just like a big sister should.

By the time everyone else had arrived, Ron and I had already started uncorking the Firewhiskey. We all stood around, chatting, talking about the most random things, as the Firewhiskey started to take it's toll. The room around me began to spin, and it seemed amazing that I was managing to stay on my feet.

"Alright, enough of this," George muttered. We all looked at him enquiringly. "Let's try and have some fun." Ron and I shared a sort of glance. Mrs Gren wasn't going to be too happy. Then I remembered, sod Mrs Gren. Let her sulk because she was a lonely old bat. I grinned at my brother-in-law.

"What do you have in mind George?" I asked. We all grinned at him.

* * *

Just fifteen minutes before midnight, we were all on the floor, clutching our sides with laughter. Let me just say, we'd just had too much to drink. Ron and I, somehow, seemed to be a little more sober then the others. Ron and I had never been ones to drink large amounts of alcohol. Then again, for me anyway, Wizarding World Alcohol was a great deal better then the normal Muggle Alcohol. Ron never really drank Muggle alcohol, so he probably didn't know how, well, nice I found Wizarding World Alcohol.

There were ten minutes to go now. From next door, there were a series of explosive bangs, like fireworks. Harry and George both clambered up off the floor.

"OK, what would you all like to drink?" Harry sounded really drunk. That's not normal for him. While everyone started yelling out orders of drinks and food, Ron and I both pushed ourselves up off the floor. My head hurt so badly. I wanted to just curl up and go to sleep. I hadn't become this drunk since before I found out Ginny was pregnant with James, and Ron and I had decided to start trying. And now I knew for sure that it felt _awful_. Ron headed off for the loo, and I decided to just go to our room and try and fix my hair, which seemed to have gotten tangled on something. Ron came out of the upstairs toilet. He didn't look as drunk as George, but he looked quite…well, he'd drunk a bit.

Ron came behind me and circled his hands around my waist. There seemed to be nothing wrong with that, until he started nibbling at my neck.

"Ron!" I whispered, half laughing, half appalled. "We have guests downstairs!"

"Who are all drunk." He whispered in my ear. God, I hated how I loved that!

"Still, we can't, you know…" I mouthed the words "do it". "It's not right." Ron just shrugged and continued nipping my neck.

"Remember when we first moved in?" I nodded. "Harry and Ginny were _sober_, and they still did it downstairs while we were up here, also sober."

"So?"

"So, they're probably all sloshed downstairs. Drunk out of their minds." His hands wandered lower. I couldn't deny it anymore. I needed him. I didn't know what I was doing, I was that drunk. I nodded, and pushed him against the nearest wall. After that, it was just a mad spiral of pleasure, and the shouts of the New Year being welcomed from downstairs and Next door.

* * *

I groaned. I opened my eyes, and immediately felt a sharp pain hit me. The previous night seemed lost. All I could remember was drinking loads. Ron was curled up with me, the covers half covering us. I opened my eyes again. I felt dizzy. I slowly climbed out of bed, being careful not to wake Ron. I pulled on a dressing gown and went downstairs.

Harry was on the floor, passed out. I noticed that he was starting to stir. Ginny was up, clutching her head. She was obviously also experiencing a hangover as well.

"Happy 2007." I yawned at her.

"Yeah, you too." She muttered. "Argh, I feel so ill!" I nodded in agreement.

"Where are George and Angelina?" I asked. Ginny gave me a sort of sheepish, embarrassed smile.

"Well, it was pretty clear what you and Ron were up to last night. After midnight, they just flooed off somewhere. I can't remember, but I think they'll be OK." I frowned a little.

"What do you mean when you say it was pretty clear what we were up to?"

"Well, you know," Ginny mouthed the words "doing it" and went red. I frowned a little more, then groaned.

"Oh God!" I moaned. We'd been drunk last night. And we'd had guests round. Nice one. I'd be talking to Ron later.

**Read and Review!**

**Chapter 25 up soon!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

I sat on the edge of the bath, head in my hands. No, this couldn't happen! Ron and I had been careful, using contraceptive spells, for Merlin's sake!

What was I going to do? This was what I was afraid of. Memories of the previous June flooded back to me…God, what would I do if I lost this one? I shook my head in despair and let a few tears roll down my cheeks. I wouldn't get rid of it, the very thought made my stomach churn. And anyway, their were risks with abortion, I knew that much. And Ron…he'd never forgive me. I felt glad that I'd put Rose down for a nap, as I didn't think I'd be able to get up. I knew that time was ticking by, and that Ron would be Apparating home from work soon. I looked at the test again. It still had a plus on it. But, then again, Muggle pregnancy tests weren't one hundred percent correct. Then, with a jolt, I remembered that I'd also taken a potion Pregnancy test, which was also positive.

I'd been experiencing morning sickness for quite a few weeks now, and cravings. It hadn't occurred to me that I could be pregnant until Ginny mentioned it. An idea struck me. I could go and see Ginny. She'd know what to do, wouldn't she? Even if she didn't, I needed to talk to someone. I pushed myself off the edge of the bath and threw the pregnancy test in the nearby bin. I went to Rose's room and picked her up gently. She stirred feebly in my arms, before settling again. I just stared at her for a minute, astounded at how beautiful she was. For a minute, I actually wished that there would be another little version of her, running around the house. Then I remembered everything that had happened, and went downstairs to floo to Ginny's.

* * *

"WHAT?" Ginny all but yelled. I didn't look at her. "You're what?"

"Pregnant. Again."

"Well, that's wonderful, I'm really happy for you and Ron, Congrat-" She caught the look on my face. "You look upset, Hermione."

"Ginny, I'm not sure if I, well, we want another one."

"Well, why not? What's wrong with babies?" I had to blush at her fierce gaze.

"Nothing! Nothing at all! It's just, you know…"

"Hermione, we're in February now. The whole thing with the scan, Hermione, that was last June! You need to get over it!" I glared at her.

"I _am_ over it, Ginny, I'm just not sure if I want another one actually!" Although, I knew that I did. I sighed. "I just don't want to lose another one, Ginny." Ginny just nodded with understanding.

"It'll be OK, it won't happen."

"I don't even know how I got pregnant!"

"Oh Hermione, I would of thought that someone as smart as you would know how sex works-" Ginny said, smiling.

"I know how it happens, I just…Ron and I have been using spells since we were in Paris, and we haven't stopped that yet-" Then I stopped, because Ginny's eyes were wide in realisation. It hit me too.

"New Years Eve." We both said in unison. I cursed myself silently for being so stupid, I mean, seriously!

"You didn't use contraception on New Years Eve, did you?" Ginny asked. She was half amused, half shocked.

"No, it was just a "Spur of the moment" type of thing." Rose yawned in my arms. "Oh God, what am I going to do?"

"Well, it's obvious; Tell Ron, and have the baby in eight months time, or however long it is until your due date." Ginny said, shrugging like it was no big deal. Maybe not for her, but she hasn't lived the soap opera that it my life. No, it wasn't that bad.

"What's Ron going to say, he probably was too drunk to remember what he was doing!" I told her. Ginny just shrugged again.

"He'll be overjoyed, maybe even shocked. Just tell him gently, though."

* * *

I did exactly as Ginny advised. I decided to leave Rose at Molly's for the night, as I didn't really want to have to tend to her when I told Ron. However, when I apparated to The Burrow, Molly just looked at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry dear, but I promised Percy and Audrey that I'd look after the girls, you know, it's Audrey's Birthday." I just smiled and did my best not to be aggravated.

"It's OK, Molly, it's just that I needed to tell Ron something, but it won't matter if Rose is there." And I apparated home before Molly could start realising what I wanted to tell Ron.

I started to make Ron a nice dinner and got changed into the red dress that Ron had brought for our Anniversary, while Rose played downstairs, trying to learn how to walk. The red dress was starting to feel tight. I just shook my head. I was just imagining it. I was only a month along. I was just imagining it. Although, I knew that before too long, it really would be too small…

"Hermione! I'm home! Hermione?" I heard Ron call. Taking a deep breath, I went downstairs. "Mmm, what's that smell?" His eyes went wide when he saw me. "God, I didn't forget something…did I?" He looked worried. I smiled. Typical Ron behaviour. I just shook my head nervously.

"No, what's wrong with a woman wanting to give her husband a nice meal?" I asked, trying not to sound nervous. To avoid Ron's eyes, I picked Rose up, as she almost fell on the floor after an attempt to walk around. Rose shouldn't really have been trying to walk, although I did feel a little proud of her determination to walk around like all of her cousins.

"Well, why are you wearing the dress I bought for our Anniversary dinner?"

"Because Red is a nice colour, it reminds me of you and Rose's hair." I set Rose back on the floor again. "Dinner will be done in a minute, so you can sit down." It wasn't really a suggestion, but Ron did it anyway, looking slightly confused, and anxious. I didn't see why he was anxious, I was the one that had to tell my partner that I had somehow got pregnant!

All through dinner, Ron and I didn't say a word to each other, except for the odd "This is really nice, Hermione" or "Thank you, Ron". By the time we'd eaten, I was regretting making such a large dinner. I wondered if I was going to be sick again. I forced myself to look at Ron.

"OK Ron, there's something that I need to tell you," I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "Ron, I'm-"

I was cut of by Rose wailing in the Living Room. Ron stood up.

"It's OK, I'll go and get her." I nodded, thanking Rose for the momentary distraction. I had to tell Ron, no matter what.

Ron came back into the room, carrying a giggling Rose in his arms.

"I think she fell over, trying to walk." Ron told me, sitting back down and keeping Rose in his lap. "Sorry, you were saying Hermione?" I took another deep breath.

"Ron, I found out today that I'm-" This time I was cut off by the banging on the Front door. Letting out an annoyed sound, I stood up to see who was ruining my evening. Mrs Gren. Of course.

"That blasted baby of yours is keeping me up every night." Mrs Gren said. "I would of come earlier, but then I had to visit my mother in the hospital." I faked a little bit of concern to get her to go away.

"Oh, that's really bad! Is your mum alright?"

"She's fine," Mrs Gren sniffed. "But, like I said, that horrible little beast of yours is keeping me and my cat awake!" I snapped into protective mother mode.

"My daughter is not a beast," I told her hotly. "She's an infant, a young child, who of course is going to cry." Nobody insulted my baby like that!

"I don't care, she's keeping us all awake at night. You're lucky I don't complain."

"And you're bloody lucky that Ron and I don't complain about _you_." At her astounded look, I added, "You muttering around and spying at people over fences."

"Just keep your little monster quiet, or I'll come round in the middle of the night and seal her lips together." I whipped out my wand so fast that I didn't even register what I was doing.

"You horrible old _bitch_!" I growled. "Get out of my house before I do something that I don't want to do." And she left! Just like that. Not a single mutter to be heard! I shut the front door and headed back to the Dining Room. Third time lucky, hopefully.

"Sorry about that." I said to Ron. He just nodded and smiled. He'd heard everything that had gone on outside.

"It's alright, what do you want to tell me?" I took yet another deep breath.

"Ron, what I've been trying to say is-" There was a tap on the window. I let out a frustrated noise. It was a tawny coloured owl. I opened the window and took the note. I read:

_Hermione, _

_It's only me, Ginny. You'll never guess what I've just found out! Can we meet during your lunch break, you know, at The Three Broomsticks? Owl me back, OK?_

_Have you told Ron yet? If you haven't, send Pig over later and tell me! If you have, well, still send me Pig later on!_

_Ginny_

I couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh. I sent her a message with the Tawny coloured owl, saying:

_Ginny, _

_Yes, I'll see you at half twelve in The Three Broomsticks tomorrow. No, haven't told Ron yet. I'll send Pig over. _

_Hermione_

I sat back down as soon as I'd sent the Tawny coloured owl back.

"Ron, I'm going to just be brief, I'm-" George cut across me, by apparating into our house. I almost screamed. What do you know, George finds it normal to pop in with no notice at half past seven in the evening. I glared at him.

"What? Can't I come to my little brother's house without being glared at by his wife like I'm being annoying?" George actually had the nerve to grin. "I wanted to see Ron-"

"I'm not trying any of your products, George." Ron told him. "Don't you have a family you can get back to?"

"Oh, Fine then, not even an offer of some tea then." And he apparated away again. I almost yelled in annoyance.

"Merlin, Hermione, how many distractions have we had this eve-?"

"Ron, I'm pregnant." I cut across before something else could happen. Ron went white. Not a good sign. His mouth opened in shock. He then dropped his gaze to Rose, and didn't look at me for a minute. I'm surprised he didn't faint.

"Hermione," He said finally. "You just said to me that you're pregnant." I nodded.

"I did." Ron looked up at me. I decided to take Rose into my arms. At least then I had something to hold.

"How?" He asked. I glared at him, and he quickly back tracked. "I mean, I know how, but…we've been using contraceptive spells." I just sighed.

"Ron, do you remember New Years Eve?" He nodded.

"Yeah, we all got drunk." I nodded this time.

"And, do you remember anything else?" Ron frowned in deep thought, and then shook his head. "Ron, we were both very drunk, and what happened was…" I just broke off, not knowing what to say. "We sort of, you know, shagged upstairs. No one noticed, but then again, they were all pretty drunk as well. And, I think that we were, you know," I blushed violently, something that would of made a Weasley proud. "Just…so caught up in a sort of world of pleasure, that we forgot to apply the spells. It was just, well, like any other night, just without the charms." Ron looked shocked. He was a little red, but nothing compared to me. That was something new. "I've only just found out this morning, and only Ginny and I know." I willed him to say something in my mind. He kept silent. Then he just sighed and slumped a little. I felt tears swim in my eyes.

"Oh Merlin." He said. He brought his hands to his head and just sat there like that.

"Please don't be mad Ron." I said, sounding upset. I stood up and went upstairs with Rose. I couldn't face Ron anymore.

I decided to just bring Rose to our room instead. She didn't look very tired, and I didn't have the will to put her down forcefully. I laid her down on me and Ron's bed. She started crawling around the duvet, giggling and smiling at me. I gave her a weak smile of my own and sat on the bed next to her little crawling space.

"Oh, Rose, what am I going to do?" I asked, letting a few tears dribble down my cheeks. She looked up at me, confused at why I was upset. It was like she was saying; _Don't be sad, mummy, you've got me here, right?_ in her own little way. She crawled down to me and grabbed one of my fingers.

"Mama," She babbled. I smiled weakly at her, before picking her up and holding her to me.

"I'm here Rose, I'm here."

* * *

By the time Ron came upstairs to go to bed, Rose was asleep in her cot soundly, and I was lying awake in my pyjama's staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Ron didn't look at me, and got into his "bed clothes", as he put it; T-shirt and boxers. He climbed into bed without a word, and didn't face me. I turned away from him too, and faced the wall. Everything swam before me, and only then did I realise that I was crying. I let a few sobs out of my mouth before I felt Ron sit up and touch my arm gently. I pulled away from it.

"Hermione," He said. His voice sounded weak. "can we talk?"

"Why?" I shot at him. "I've obviously done something wrong, because you're ignoring me."

"Hermione, you haven't done anything wrong." He sounded close to tears himself. "I'm just…shocked." I sat up suddenly and glared at him. He'd obviously been running his hands through his hair, as it was all tousled and messy, like Harry's.

"Shocked?" I said icily. "Shocked? Ron, I told you that I was pregnant, and what do you do? You sit there, not breathing a word, your head in your hands!"

"Well, you just sprung it on me, that's all."

"Don't worry Ron, if you don't want another kid, just say so, and I'll go to St Mungo's and have it removed. Pretend it never happened." The look on Ron's face was enough to break my heart and scar me for life. I don't think he ever looked so heartbroken, so damn upset. Ron let out a noise like a choked Hippogriff. "Well, you obviously don't want another kid, Ron."

"I do." He said. His eyes were overflowing with tears, and his chest was heaving with the sobs he was trying to keep back. "I do, I really do."

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it. Some father you are." I snapped. I regretted them words the moment I said them, but I knew I couldn't take them back. Ron was crying so much that he had enough tears to make the River Thames flood all over Britain. He was no longer keeping the sobs held back. The sobs seemed to echo around the room.

"You're right." He croaked. My heart almost stopped it broke so much. "If you want, you can go to St Mungo's and get rid of it. I'll go and spend the night at Harry and Ginny's or something." I decided that I wasn't angry at him anymore. Suddenly, he was my husband again. And I'd done something so terrible I was starting to hate myself.

"Ron, I-I didn't mean that." I told him, kneeling in front of him. "Ron, I swear to you that I didn't mean a thing I just said." Ron continued to sob. I felt helpless. Every time I tried to hug him, he just pushed me away. Every time I went to wipe a tear off his nose, he moved further away from me. This hurt, and I deserved it. I deserved every second of the pain I was experiencing.

After a few minutes of my fruitless attempts, Ron slipped off the bed and out of the bedroom door. I heard him apparate out of the house. My throat closed up, and I started to sob all over again. That was how I stayed for half the night, until I couldn't cry anymore, and I let sleep overcome me.

**Aww, I'm sad again now. **

**By the way, the bit where Hermione went to go and see if Molly would look after Rose, well, Molly was going to, but then I realised (thanks to a really nice reviewer who pointed that out- I'M NOT BEING SARCASTIC, BY THE WAY) that there wasn't enough Rose in there, and the story is about Babies (I.E: Look at the title), so I'm adding more baby content. **

**Agian, nothing too Harsh please! Read and Review!**

**Chapter 26 up soon (Wow, we're almost at 30)**

**Oh, and another note: I've started writing companion pieces to Baby. The first two chapters from Ron's POV are up, and I might work on a Harry and Ginny version! Read if you get really bored of waiting for me to update!**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

I shot up. Someone was upstairs. I looked over to my left, expecting to see Ron alert too. Then I remembered, with a sickening lurch, that Ron had left only hours ago. I shook him from my head. I could hear the intruder crossing over to Rose's room. I started to feel sick. This was what I'd been afraid of. The intruder from May 2006 popped into my head, and I grabbed my wand from my bedside table. Nobody was going to hurt my Rose. No one.

I crept out of bed, my heart beating, and out of the room. The intruder wasn't in the Hallway. They'd gone into Rose's room. I gently tip toed across the hall to her room and stopped just outside Rose's room. The door had been pushed wide open. I listened carefully, in case the intruder was doing something quietly. I realised, with a funny jolt, that Rose was still asleep; I could still hear her breathing quietly. But then, I could also hear someone else breathing. It was deeper, definitely a man, and he sounded like he was upset. Keeping my wand alight, I tip toed into Rose's red and gold room.

Rose was still asleep, just as I'd left her earlier. She smiled in her sleep, and squirmed comfortably. I smiled for a second, until I realised that there was some one else in here.

His red hair was terrible; messy and tangled. His blue eyes were focused on Rose adoringly, but also sadly. Tears were dripping down his cheeks, falling past his long nose and freckles. One hand was holding onto Rose's cot, like a mother would cling onto a lost son. The thought made me feel queasy, as Molly had gone through that during the war when she lost Fred. He was wearing a coat that was too small for him, as well as a pair of trousers, which were equally ill fitting.

Ron.

He didn't look at me. Just at Rose. My heart stopped beating so fast. I knew that there was no way that Ron would ever hurt Rose. He'd kill himself if something happened to her. Ron finally looked up, and almost jumped when he saw me. I didn't say a word. I didn't need to. Ron let go of Rose's cot. I thought that he'd apparate away, but I was wrong. He just stood there. I decided to break the ice.

"Ron, I'm sorry." I whispered. He moved silently towards me. His eyes were red from crying. He stopped just inches in front of me. "Ron?"

Without warning, Ron leaned in to kiss me. I gladly returned the kiss. We broke off after only a few seconds, and my lips felt all tingly. I ran a hand through his hair, which was sopping wet. I realised that it was raining outside.

"Ron, are you OK?" I asked, pulling his head towards me. I kissed his forehead gently. He mumbled something. "What?"

"No." He mumbled. He took a deep breath. I noticed that he was shivering, as his clothes were drenched in rain.

"Come on, we'll find you something warm to wear." I gently took his hand and pulled him out of Rose's room and into ours. I sat him down on the bed and gently removed his coat and shirt. He was soaked through to the skin. I passed him another shirt and a clean pair of boxers, which he took gratefully. I stood in front of him, and waited until he was done changing. He was still cold, and so we both settled underneath the covers again.

"What happened?" I asked. "When you apparated?" He just shook his head, before talking.

"I'm sorry I overreacted." He said.

"I'm the one that overreacted." I told him. "Ron, what happened?"

"Well, I apparated to no place in particular, I just wanted to get away." He held me close against him. Suddenly, the previous events were forgotten, and I cuddled back into him. "I regretted that a lot. I thought that you'd hate me for sure. But I couldn't face coming back after I'd apparated. So I just wandered around. And then, after a while, it hit me what I'd done. I remembered you saying that you were sorry, but my brain only really just registered it. Then I felt truly upset. I thought about Rose, and about how much I'd been a jerk, so I wanted to apparate home again. But then, it started raining, and I couldn't focus. So I walked."

"You didn't know where you were- and you _walked_ home?" I asked, and we both smiled weakly at each other.

"I know, it sounds weird, but that's what I did." I pulled him closer to me. "I needed to make sure that you and Rose were safe. I think that's how I managed to apparate back." I nodded.

"Ron, please forgive me."

"For what?"

"For saying that you were a bad father, because you're not." I considered even more what I'd said. "And for saying that you didn't want the baby. I never even asked you what you thought, I just did what I wanted." He held me closer. "But most of all about the bad father comment."

"Yeah, that hurt quite a lot." He started sniffling. I cupped his head in my hands and made sure that we were looking each other in the eye. His blue ones were in danger of crying, which made mine want to water too.

"Ron, I'm pregnant, I have hormones all over the place. And I was angry, I thought that you were ignoring me. But, no matter what anyone says, you're a perfect dad to Rose, and you will be for all our other children." It happened before I could register it; he crashed his lips against mine and pulled me close to him.

"I love you." He breathed.

"I love you too Ron." I breathed back. Now, that was a kiss that took ones breath away.

"Hermione, I'm sorry about earlier. I was shocked."

"I know."

"It's just…you know, such a big thing. Especially after what happened in May." I clung to Ron.

"Ron, what _do_ you think? About the baby?" Ron didn't say a word. Then…

"I'm going to be a dad again!" He all but yelled, not wanting to wake Rose up. I let out a giggle. "Oh, Hermione, I love you so bloody much!" Without warning, he pulled me out of bed and swung me round and round and round. Now, that was the reaction that I wanted. His lips were all over me, stopping at my stomach. His lips just rested there, pressed against my abdomen. I could hear him whispering words of love towards the foetus in my womb. The thought made me cry with happiness. Ron and I spent the night like that.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and rainless. I opened my eyes and found myself spread out on Ron's chest. I could hear him snoring gently. I looked up at him and saw a smile on his face, which brought one to mine. I closed my eyes again, and decided to pretend that Ron and I were frozen like this. Well, I would of done just that, if Rose hadn't decided that she was hungry.

"I better go get her." I yawned at Ron, who had woken up when Rose started crying. He nodded, before shaking his head.

"No, I'll go get her, you stay here." Before I could argue, Ron slipped out from the bed and bounded out of the room. I gave a content sigh, before getting up myself. I looked at the clock on my bedside table. It was already seven o' clock. I groaned. It was Friday, and Ron and I had to go to work. I suddenly remembered that I was meant to be meeting Ginny at lunch. I thought back to her letter, and smiled to myself. I had a hunch…

I climbed out of bed, pulling on a dressing gown. I went downstairs, and went over to Pig, who was sleeping with his head under his wing. I let him sleep a few more minutes, while I described the previous night with Ron to her. I left out a few select details, but other then that, it was a full account. I woke Pig up with a gentle prod. He opened his eyes, looking a little annoyed, before he saw the large letter in my hands. He suddenly started hooting excitedly while I tied the letter to his leg. He took off immediately. I watched him leave, before returning upstairs to get dressed.

I decided to drop Rose off at Molly's for the morning, and then, during lunch, I'd go and collect her. I decided that if I managed to get all my work done before lunch, then I'd be able to do my usual thing and take the afternoon off.

* * *

As the clock struck quarter past twelve, I sighed and started packing away all my papers, before I flooed to Molly's. She was in the middle of preparing lunch for someone who was obviously staying for a little while. I looked into the kitchen, and saw Angelina sitting in there. When she saw me, she beamed weakly at me. I just smiled back at her.

"Hello, Hermione!" Molly said, coming to hug me. "Would you care to stay for a quick cup of tea, dear?" I shook my head.

"Sorry, I promised Ginny that I'd meet her for lunch." I checked my watch. I was almost five minutes late. Damn. "Where's Rose?"

"Living Room." Molly answered, before sitting next to Angelina. "Angelina, are we talking about the same George here, because-?" I left the kitchen before I could hear too much. My stomach lurched a little. Trying my best not to feel queasy, I went to the Living Room, and saw Rose on the floor. Then, with a jolt, I realised that Fred and Roxanne were both there too.

"Auntie Hermione!" Roxanne yelled, reaching her arms up to hug me. I, knowing I had no choice, leaned down and hugged her. "Are you staying for lunch too?"

"I can't, Roxie, I'm meeting Aunt Ginny in Hogsmeade now." Roxie just nodded and bit her lip, before she carried on playing with Fred. Fred looked just George, funnily enough. I picked Rose up, called a quick good bye to Molly and Angelina, before Flooing to Hogsmeade.

Ginny was already there, sipping just a plain water. I walked over to her.

"Hi," She said. She looked thoroughly relieved to see me.

"Hi. Where's James and Albus?" I asked.

"Harry's looking after them." She said quickly. I just nodded. "Hermione, if I tell you something, you can't tell Ron, not until I'm ready. Or mum. She'd kill me for not telling her straight away." I nodded. "Hermione, you won't believe it! I'm pregnant too!" I almost screamed with excitement.

"That's brilliant Ginny! Congratulations!"

"But, the thing is, I haven't told Harry." My face must of dawned with understanding, because Ginny nodded and grimaced.

"Oh, Ginny, why not?"

"Well, I was going to, until you told me what Ron did." She glared at me as if it were my fault.

"You asked me to tell you!" She sighed.

"I know. Merlin, what should I do?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" She shook her head, and I sighed. "Tell Harry. The longer you go without telling him, the worse it will get." She just nodded.

"Thanks Hermione. Do you have to get back to work?"

"No, I've got the afternoon off to look after Rose." Rose yawned loudly, before grinning her little baby grin up at Ginny, who beamed.

"She really looks like Ron," Ginny commented. "Merlin, they look really alike." I nodded, beaming.

"Ginny, don't you have to go to work?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I'm working from home." She smiled. "You know, helps me look after all my children. All three." We both shared a smile at this. "So, how is Ron, after this morning?"

"Better then Angelina," I muttered. She looked at me enquiringly. "She was at Molly's when I went to pick Rose up. With Fred and Roxanne." She looked shocked.

"What did Angelina say?" I didn't really want to tell Ginny about what I'd heard about George; after all, he was her big brother. I shook my head.

"I-I don't know." I lied feebly. "Well, Molly said something to Angelina about "it not being the same George" but that's it." Ginny tried to shrug it off.

"Well, I better be going, I have to finish an article about some shifty person discovered in Knockturn Alley." Although I knew that she was really going to pester Angelina and Molly about George, maybe even confronting George in the end.

* * *

As soon as Rose and I had arrived home, I knew that we were both going to be bored stupid. I decided to go and floo to Molly's, to see if Fred and Roxanne were still there, and maybe to see if I could talk to Angelina and Molly over a cup of tea until Ron would be arriving home. Leaving a quick note for Ron, saying that I'd be at The Burrow, Rose and I flooed to The Burrow. Immediately, a kind of quiet met me. That was not normal for the Burrow. Normally, there would be screaming children running in, out and around the house. I saw Fred's and Roxanne's feet disappear as they climbed the stairs. I could hear voices coming from the kitchen, and so I went to see what was going on. Putting Rose down gently on the floor, leaving her to play with some discarded toys, I crept over to the kitchen, ready to knock and let Molly and Angelina know that I was here, when I stopped dead.

"-Molly, I'm serious! I heard him with my own ears!" Angelina still needed help from Molly?

"Angelina, dear, George would never-"

"Molly, I heard George saying to Lee about that woman. The woman who he saw last weekend." My heart thumped. "I'm sorry, but George is having an affair!" I almost burst into tears for Angelina. George, having an affair?

"Oh, Angelina, you heard him say this?"

"Yes! Molly, I know that he's your son, but I heard him with my own ears!" I heard them both crying. I wiped my own tears away.

"But, Angelina, he loves Fred and Roxie, he does…and you, he loves you as well!"

"I know that Fred and Roxie are his world, but if they find out…oh, Merlin." I heard her collapse into sobs. I heard Molly crying as well. I decided that I couldn't listen anymore. I went back to The Living Room, picked up a giggling Rose, and flooed home. I spent the rest of the afternoon sad, and crying.

* * *

"Hermione?" I shot up. I picked Rose up off the floor before Ron could come in, hoping that he'd mistake my tears for joy. No such luck. "Hermione, why are you crying?" I passed him Rose, and told him what I'd heard in The Burrow.

"George is cheating on Angelina." I told him. His eyes widened. "I heard them talking in the kitchen at The Burrow. Even your mum can't deny it, Ron." I let a few more tears escape my eyes. Even Ron looked close to tears.

"But, George…He wouldn't. He loves Angelina, and Fred and Roxanne, more than anything." He let a few tears drip, before wiping them away, and making Rose giggle. "It just…doesn't seem like George."

"Angelina said that he was away during the weekend, and that she overheard…" I couldn't finish. "Oh Ron, I never imagined that George, or _any_ of your brothers, or their wives, would ever…" I trailed off in disbelief. "Ron, what are we going to do?"

**Phew, another chapter done! Don't worry, no seperations will happen...As far as I know. But, I can promise, every loose end will be tied up by the end of the story. **

**READ AND REVIEW!**

**Chapter 27 up...well, you know the drill.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Ron and I decided not to tell anyone; that was up to Angelina. A couple of days after Ron and I had found out, we went to Sunday Dinner, as usual, at the Burrow. I couldn't help but give a supporting smile at Angelina, which she returned, half confused. Ron started being cold to George as soon as we arrived, which I glared at him half-heartedly for. George just looked at Ron confusedly, and grinned like a git. I couldn't help but be cold towards him sometimes, much to his confusion.

"Seriously, what have I done wrong?" He asked when we all sat down for dinner. Molly gave a look at us. She knew that we knew.

"George, may Hermione and I talk to you in the kitchen? Ron, can you stay here dear, and look after Rose?" Ron just nodded, still glaring at George. I followed Molly and George out to the kitchen, away from the quiet Dining Room.

Molly turned to face George. I decided to do the same. He just stared at us as if we were mad. I decided that Molly should be the one to say something, as George was her son. I also decided to put a Silencing Charm, as well as a Locking Charm, on the door, so that no one could come in and interrupt us.

"George, we need to talk," Molly said. I knew that the only reason she'd asked me to come with her was because she couldn't stand doing it by herself. I understood how she felt, in an odd way. "And, George, please, you need to be one hundred percent honest." George nodded.

"I promise Mum, I swear on Fred's grave."

"George!" Molly said, tears in her eyes. George immediately looked guilty, and he also looked a bit misty eyed.

"Sorry Mum."

"George, this is serious." I told him. He just nodded.

"George, are you cheating on Angelina?" Molly asked. Nothing like a slow and steady interrogation. George looked shocked. Then, his face fell.

"Yeah." He said, not looking us in the eye. My breath caught. I heard George sniff.

"Oh my…" Molly looked ready to collapse. I patted her arm, the way she sometimes did with her children (and Harry and I). She shot me a look that said "Thank you".

"George, why?" I asked, for Molly, as she looked ready to burst into a full flow of tears.

"I don't know why." He said, wiping his nose. I kind of respected that he was being honest with us, and that he knew that he'd done wrong. "I-I regretted it, I s-swear, mum. I w-wish I-I could say it was only o-once." He looked ready to burst into a full flow of tears too. "M-mum, I love Angelina, and F-Fred and R-Roxie. I really do. I fired L-Lexis since."

"It was one of your employees?" I asked. "Oh, George, why?"

"S-she a-advanced me a-after work l-last w-weekend, a-and she s-started telling me how h-h-h-handsome she thought I was, and then s-she was all over me. I s-should of s-stopped her, but I-I didn't." He now had tears running all down his face. "Lexis- I d-don't l-l-love her. S-she's just a f-friend."

"But you still let her, George!"

"I-I know. T-that's why I've been avoiding Angelina a-all week. T-then on M-Monday, L-Lexis came up to me, and t-tried to d-do it a-again. I t-told her to b-bog off, and she looked really u-upset, s-so I just put my arm round her, a-and then she was a-all over me."

"Oh, Georgie." Molly whispered.

"I-I fired her, b-but she k-keeps on o-owling me. Sometimes it's presents, others it's love mail."

"Angelina found it, didn't she?" I asked, guessing. George nodded.

"I guess so. She m-m-m-must of gotten an owl while I was at work." He leaned on the counter and put his head in his hands. "Merlin, what have I done?"

"But why did you talk to Lee about it?" Molly asked. I nodded in agreement.

"I needed to talk to someone, but even then, Lee was disgusted at me." He shook his head. I almost cried. "I'm disgusted with myself. Angelina will probably want a d-divorce now."

"George, you and Angelina need to talk this over. Then you two should decide what to do." Molly told him. I squeezed her hand for support.

"Look, we won't need to announce this to the whole family at dinner, but it's not going to stay a secret for long." I told him. "But, if Molly agrees, I think that you should gently tell us all. When your nieces and nephews aren't around." I added. "Or Fred and Roxanne."

"It's up to you George." Molly said, while I lifted all the charms off the door. "But, wipe your face, or there'll be questions otherwise."

George and Angelina both stayed quiet during dinner. Angelina excused herself after a few minutes, and didn't come back after a while. George excused himself too, and left. Immediately, there was an outburst of talk.

"What do you think is up with them, Fleur?"

"Do you theenk she ees pregnant? Maybe eet was not planned, Bill."

"No, she'd be glowing, Fleur. Maybe she and George have had a fall out? What do you think Harry?"

"I don't know, Gin, maybe."

"Harry, that has to be it! Angelina and George have-"

"SHUT UP!" Ron yelled. "Just shut up! You don't know, and you don't need to know!" Every one turned to stare at him. There was another outburst of talk.

"-Maybe 'e missed sleep-"

"What's up with him?"

"You alright mate?"

"I don't think he's getting it enough, Percy."

"Charlie!"

"It's true!"

"Please, Please, be quiet!" I shrieked. Every one turned to stare at me. "It's none of your business! And, just for the record, it's not Ron's fault that you're all being so nosy!" I got up to leave. Just as I got to the doorframe, I turned around primly. "Oh, and did I tell you? Ron and I are having a baby! Go on then, gossip about that." And I left without another word. Great timing. My stomach started churning, and I felt vomit bubble up in my stomach. I raced upstairs to the nearest toilet.

As soon as I'd started vomiting, I felt Ron come up behind me, and pull my hair back. I wanted to stop to thank him, but sadly, I didn't really have a choice but to wait. As soon as I'd finished, I stood up, looking around for some toilet roll. I wiped my mouth and cleaned my teeth, before turning to face Ron.

"Are you OK?" He asked. I nodded.

"Morning sickness…in the afternoon." I added. We both shared a light laugh. "I'll be down in a minute, Ron, I'm suddenly really hungry…" Ron left the bathroom, laughing. I wasn't. George and Angelina weren't in a bathroom, so where were they? They couldn't of gone home, since Fred and Roxanne were still here.

I left the bathroom, when I heard some shouting. My heart thudded. I'd already eavesdropped and found out more then I needed to. Then again, what would happen if something bad was happening?

I crept along the landing, until I found the room that George and Angelina were in. They were having the loudest row I'd ever heard- louder then the ones that Ron and I sometimes had.

"-YOU SLEPT WITH HER GEORGE!-"

"-I DIDN'T MEAN TO, ANGE, I DIDN'T!-"

"-OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T! NO, YOU JUST SLEPT WITH HER TWICE!"

"I DIDN'T SLEEP WITH HER!"

"WELL, YOU SHAGGED HER!"

"SHE SHAGGED ME!"

"WHAT'S THE BLOODY DIFFERENCE?"

"I DIDN'T ENJOY IT!"

"AND THAT MAKES IT BETTER, DOES IT?"

"WELL, YEAH!" I heard George take a deep breath. "Ange, I ended it as soon as I could. She's obsessed." I didn't need to see Angelina's face to see that she wasn't just angry; She was murderous.

"You think you're so handsome and perfect, George, but you're not. You think that just because your twin died you can get away with anything!" I could hear the pain in her voice. "Well, you can't. When we get home, you can pack your bags and get out, because this is hurting our children."

"Ange, they don't know-"

"Don't know? George, they've questioned me about it! They've come to some sort of conclusion that you hate them!"

"Ange-"

"No, George Fabian Weasley, listen! You don't play Mini-Quidditch with Fred anymore, you don't play with him in the joke shop anymore. Merlin, Roxanne won't even talk to me, because she thinks that it's my fault that you're not reading to her anymore at bed-time." I suppressed a sniff at this. George seemed to be trying to do the same as me- and failing. I heard Angelina head towards the door. I panicked, and hid in the next room along the landing. I heard her storm past the room without pausing. I almost breathed out in relief. Then, when I looked round the room, I realised that I wasn't alone. Ron was sitting in the corner of the room, sniffing like a small child. He, too, had heard the whole argument.

* * *

By the time that Ron and I had gotten downstairs, the atmosphere was so icy, that I could feel it. Ron actually shivered. George and Angelina were still here, and Fred and Roxanne were out in the garden playing, but George and Angelina weren't looking at each other. Rose seemed to sense that something was wrong too, and wailed loudly every so often. After about an hour of awkwardness, Ron and I excused ourselves, saying that Rose was tired, and we needed to put her to bed. This was, of course, a lie. We flooed home, breathing a massive sigh of relief as soon as we'd gotten into our Living Room.

"What's the time?" I asked, looking out the window. It wasn't even dark yet. Ron checked his watch.

"Half past three." We both sighed.

"Well, there's no chance of putting Rose to sleep now." I said. I had an idea. "We might as well help her develop her motor skills." Ron nodded, and we both searched around the room to try and find the soft little ball that we'd brought Rose. What we did was roll it to her, and she'd try and stop it, and then roll it back. She seemed to enjoy this.

But today, she didn't seem to want to roll the ball. Every time Ron or I rolled it to her, she just looked at it, and then looked back at us.

"Maybe we should try something else, something new to her." Ron suggested. "Maybe…we can help her learn how to walk!" I looked at Rose. She was fourteen months old already, so maybe it would be a good idea. I nodded, and went to pick her up. She looked so grown up already. Her red hair (unfortunately) looked as if it was going to end up as bushy as mine. But that didn't stop me from loving her.

"OK, I think that we should take turns, Ron. One of us should sit opposite her, and then the other should help support her or something." Ron nodded. "I'll help her first. Can you just go and sit over there Ron?" Ron did as he was asked. "Now, we can't pressure her, Ron, so let's just try and be slow about this."

Teaching Rose how to walk was so surreal. She seemed quite eager, and tried to pull herself up by using the sofa. Having been successful many times before, she managed to do it with no problem. I almost cried at how grown up she was already. As soon as she was standing, I gently grabbed her hands- her tiny hands!- and helped her walk around the room. Ron seemed to be thinking the same thing as me. He was almost in tears. Rose spotted Ron, and started leading me towards Ron. She just about got there, before Ron picked her up, and held her to him. She giggled and grinned at him. The sight got me crying. Ron looked over to me.

"What's the matter?" He asked, clearly alarmed. I shook my head.

"Nothing. Rose is just so…grown up." Ron nodded in agreement. We switched places. Seeing Ron help Rose walk towards me, well, it was quite amazing. Just a few steps away from me, Ron suddenly let go of her hands. I almost scowled at him, until I realised something; Rose was walking!

Rose stumbled and fell after a few steps, but I managed to help her, by catching her just in time. I congratulated her, cooing her and kissing her forehead. She seemed to be quite pleased with herself, and giggled. Ron and I kept at this until Rose seemed to be getting tired.

"What's the time?" I asked Ron, helping her walk around the Living Room. She was getting quite good, but I still kept holding her hand, as we'd tried to let her walk around on her own, and she'd only managed about four steps before falling.

"About quarter to eight." Ron said, looking at his watch. Rose gave a yawn. "Maybe we should let Rose rest." I nodded. "Here, I'll take her upstairs." I picked up Rose and passed her to him. As Ron disappeared up the stairs, I heard him murmur stuff to her. I almost cried at how sweet this was, to see Ron love our child. Then, with a funny jolt, I remembered that we had Number Two on the way. I smiled to myself, and started to make dinner for Ron and I, as, undoubtedly, we were both probably hungry. I was.

**OK, sorry about the late update, I've been meaning to do this since the 13th March, but I think my account started playing up!**

**Chapter 28 up soon!**

**Reviews much appreciated!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"How would you feel going to a party?" Ron asked. I looked up.

"What kind of 'Party' are we talking about?" I asked. "Remember I can't drink alcohol."

"I know," Ron said quickly, going red. "It's not really a party, it's more of a celebratory Auror's dinner." I nodded.

"Why is there a dinner?" I asked. I couldn't help but notice that Ron went even redder.

"Well, the Head of the Auror Department's retiring, and Harry's been promoted to the Head."

"Really?" I asked. I could sense something else coming.

"And, because he's becoming Head, that means that I'm being moved up." My scream couldn't of been louder.

"You got PROMOTED?" I screamed. "Ron, that's bloody brilliant!" Ron grinned.

"Language." He tutted. I slapped his arm.

"I'm really happy for you, Ron! This is brilliant!" I hugged him.

"Thanks! So, you fancy having dinner with all my work mates?"

"Of course! When is it?"

"Next Friday."

"Oh, Ron, I'm so happy for you!" I started kissing him all over, quick little pecks.

"It's nothing." Ron mumbled- although he was grinning.

* * *

As it turned out, this was going to be quite a big thing. Ginny was, by the following Saturday after I'd been told, already eager to go out shopping to look for an appropriate dress.

"Well, Harry is becoming Head of the Auror's Department." Ginny said when I looked at her questionably. "So I want to look good. Plus, being pregnant, my stomach's not going to stay flat for too long, is it?"

"Well, I might just wear an old dress of mine." I said. "There's no point in buying a whole new wardrobe just for one dinner."

"But don't you want to look nice?" Ginny pestered. "Well, of course I do, but I don't want to waste too much money." I said.

"Well, Hermione, this is no ordinary dinner." Ginny pointed out. I sighed.

"I'll see." I said.

"So, do you know what's up with George and Angelina yet?"

"Haven't they told you?"

"No, but it must be something serious. I've tried asking them, though, but Angelina just changes the subject, and George tells me to get lost."

"I can't tell you, Ginny, I'm sorry."

"I see."

"It's up to them. I only know because I heard it…accidentally." I added quickly, as Ginny half-smirked, half-scowled at me. "Well, why don't you ask your mum?"

"Fine then, I will." Ginny said, swinging her long red hair around her shoulder. "I better get back to work." I took this as a "Hermione, get lost now". I nodded.

"Yes, well, Ron will be wondering where me and Rose are." And I disapparated away.

The George and Angelina situation was obviously no better. Some weeks, they wouldn't come to the Burrow. Other weeks, only one of them would turn up with the children, usually George. He still hadn't felt the need to tell us, and I could understand that. Especially since my just so wonderful husband had felt the need to punch him once. That had earned George a black eye and broken nose, and Ron, for punishment, had to go several nights without me talking to him, or…oh, well, you get the point.

As soon as I'd arrived home, I met the oddest sight. George was _crying_ on _Ron_'s shoulder. I had to blink my eyes for a minute to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Ron just looked up at me, and mouthed, "He wants to tell the family". I understood immediately.

"Well, why doesn't he?" I mouthed back.

"He's scared". Ron went back to comforting George. "It's OK, they'll all understand, we all do bad things." Ron grimaced at this, and I knew what he was referring to. "I've done pretty rubbish things."

"Yeah, but you've never cheated on your bloody wife!" George sobbed. I'd never really see George sob before, except for around the time of Fred's death.

"Yeah, well, I'd never cheat on my wife, and I know that you wouldn't really either."

"But I did!"

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't of. But if you tell the family what happened, maybe they'll understand."

"George," I spoke up. "I've learnt, over the last fifteen years or so, that the Weasley's are a family that stick together, no matter what."

"Well said, Hermione." Ron said, smiling, before turning back to George. "George, the family is worried about you and Angelina. After you've told them, if they bother you, or hit a sensitive spot or something, just tell them to bugger off."

* * *

The next afternoon, when Ron and I flooed over to the Burrow, it had been obvious that George had told the rest of the Weasley's, excluding the children. As soon as we stepped foot inside, all was quiet, apart from the shouts of the children outside. From the sitting room, I could hear a few voices, a lot of sniffles, but most of all; a shocked silence.

Then we heard Bill say in a rather confused voice, "You-you what?"

Ron and I entered the sitting Room. No one said anything. They merely nodded at us to acknowledge that they knew we were here.

"Do they know?" Arthur asked, meaning us. George nodded. I saw Angelina sitting next to Audrey and Fleur. The expression on her face was unreadable. If I had to place it, I would of said she looked shocked, and close to tears, maybe even a little angry.

Ginny looked close to tears herself, as she stood up, ignoring Harry's half hearted attempts to pull her back down.

"H-how could you?" She said, in an almost whisper. A tear leaked from her eye. "How could you, George?"

"I-I don't know. It was an accident, not completely my fault." George mumbled. At the glares he received from various members of the family, he continued, "I was at work, and this girl, Lexis, one of my employees, just… she said how handsome I was and stuff, and then it just…went from there. She kissed me, and went all over me." I didn't think this made it easier for Angelina.

"Isn't Lexis the girl you _fired_ George?" Ron asked. I almost smiled at how Ron was trying to make the situation better for George.

"Yeah, I fired her. But, before I did, she advanced on me again. Then I fired her." The room was still deathly quiet. "I…She kept on sending me mail, like love mail and presents by owl, but I've gotten rid of them as best I can. I guess that Angelina must of found one." George looked at Angelina. "I don't l-love Lexis, Ange, I've even owled her, telling her that if she doesn't bog off then I'll set the ghoul from upstairs on her." Angelina just stared at George, her face different, but still unreadable.

Harry stood up now. His face was completely serious, and his eyes were frozen on George. Then, surprisingly, he smiled lightly at him.

"Although what you've done is disgusting, and heart-breaking for us all to hear," His smile drooped a little as he spoke. "You haven't denied it or lied. You actually sound truly sorry. I think that you really must hate yourself for this, for hurting your family." Harry's eyes went watery. I knew how strongly he felt about families.

"I do hate myself." George said, not grinning for once.

"Well, I don't hate you." Ron and Harry said in almost-unison. They caught each other's eye and smiled.

"I theenk that George ees brave for telling us." Fleur said loudly, looking around at us all, daring us to question, or even argue with her. "George should not of done the thing 'e 'ad done, I know, but at least 'e knows that 'e 'as done wrong, and is apologising for eet." No one said anything. Then, a quick sudden movement that we could hardly catch, Angelina had stood up and stopped in front of George.

"Ange," George said, in an almost desperate voice. "Can we please try and sort this out…at home." He added. Angelina just stared at him, before nodding slowly. Molly stood up, trying to act normally.

"Well, I better go check on dinner." And she bustled out. Bill and Percy stood up at the same time.

"Er, I think we should go check on the kids…" Bill said, before he and Percy left the room. The rest of us sat there for another few minutes.

"I-I think I'll start setting the table." Ginny said, standing up again.

"I'll come join you." Audrey and I said at the same time, both of us standing up. We all left the room quickly, not wanting to stay in the room, as it was deathly quiet again.

"God, I never thought…" Ginny whispered. She was pale white. Not a nice sign. "How could he…?"

"It was an accident of sorts, Ginny." I said, trying to comfort her.

"It's just…I never thought that George, of all people…Malfoy maybe…but George?" Ginny shook her head disbelievingly. She looked like she wanted to sob, but she didn't want to show us of course. I mean, she was quite tough, growing up with three brothers, and one tear could ruin that reputation. I just patted her arm clumsily. I was close to tears as well, even though I knew this was coming.

Harry came out of the Sitting Room. He'd obviously come out to see if Ginny was alright. I would have smiled at how sweet it was if I wasn't so upset. Seeing how close to tears Ginny looked, he rushed over to her side. I suddenly had a thought; had Ginny told Harry that she was pregnant again? By the looks of it, she hadn't. Well, if she had, they certainly were keeping a secret from the rest of the family.

"H-Harry, can I j-just talk to Ginny for a minute?" I asked. Harry nodded reluctantly.

"Oh, and Hermione?" I looked at Harry. He grinned. "Congratulations to you and Ron."

"Thanks." I smiled. Ginny looked at me questionably, wondering what I wanted, but followed me out to the Burrow's garden. I decided that if we went over to the Orchard, we'd have a very small chance of being followed and overhead.

"Ginny, have you told Harry yet?" I asked as soon as we'd gotten far away enough from the Burrow. She looked puzzled.

"Told him what?"

"That he's now got _three_ children." Her face registered shock and embarrassment at the same time. "I take it that's a no then." She went red. Well, red's better then pale white.

"I…I've been busy." She lied feebly. She sighed. "It's just…how's he going to react?""Same as he did when you told him about James and Albus, I suppose."

"I'm not kidding, Hermione! He's just been promoted!"

"All the more reason to tell him. You know, once you tell him, he'll be excited and all that."

"But-"

"No buts! Every time I've told Ron I'm pregnant he's been ecstatic."

"That's because so far you only have Rose." Ginny snapped. She looked like she regretted it immediately. Tears swam in my eyes. "H-Hermione, I didn't mean it like that, I swear!"

"Just forget it!" I shot at her, trying my best not to cry. "Why don't you just tell Harry and then boast at how excellent your pregnancy skills are?" I stormed off back to the Burrow, leaving Ginny to look after me.

* * *

That night at home, in bed, I couldn't help but think back to what Ginny had said. Why was she doing this to me? I thought she was my best female friend! I knew that she was just hormonal, but that didn't stop it hurting.

"You OK?" Ron asked. I looked next to me. Ron was lying awake too. I nodded, before looking up at the ceiling again. "Well, you're obviously not. You've been quiet since Dinner. Did you have a fall out with Ginny or something?" I nodded, then sighed.

"It's nothing."

"Well, you're obviously upset, so it must be something. Please, tell me what happened." Why did I have to marry such a caring husband?

"It's nothing!" I snapped half-heartedly.

"Hermione, I don't like to see you upset, no matter if it's me or someone else that's made you fell like that." I finally saw a disadvantage to marrying a caring Husband, even if it was sweet.

"Ron, just leave it." I snapped half-heartedly. "It. Is. Nothing." But I sighed and looked at Ron again. "Ginny and I had a fight and she said something about the amount of times I've been pregnant, that's all."

"Well, why was she saying about pregnancy?" His eyes widened. "She's not-?" I nodded. "Bloody Hell!" I glared at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop your swearing?" I asked, trying my best not to smile.

"How come she and Harry haven't told the family?"

"Ron…She hasn't told Harry yet."

"WHAT?"

"Be quiet! You'll wake Rose up!" And I so didn't need that at the moment. It had taken me hours to get her down the first time, and I didn't want her to wake up. "And anyway, with everything that's going on, I can understand how Ginny's side-tracked!"

"Blimey." He allowed himself to think for a minute. "But what did Ginny say?"

"I've already told you-""No, you said she said something about the amount of times you've been pregnant."

"Well, all she said, when I told her that you've been quite…ecstatic when I've told you, that the only reason you really get excited is because we only have Rose." I didn't realise until after I'd said it, that it felt good to tell Ron. Even if he looked like he was about to boil over.

"She what?" I decided that, for Ron's sake purely, I needed to stop him from storming over to Harry's and Ginny's. After all, Harry wouldn't be very happy if Ron stormed over there and had a go at Ginny.

"Ron, Ron, it's OK!" I told him when he tried to sit up. "We're both a bit hormonal, so we're overreacting!"

"So?"

"So, Ginny's not herself. After she said it she apologised!"

"That's not the point, the point is that she's upset you!"

"I'm. Not. Upset." I said through gritted teeth. "Just forget about it, Ron."

"I can't!"

"She APOLOGISED!" I practically yelled. A wail from the next room told me that I'd yelled maybe a bit too loud. I let out an annoyed sound and got up to go get her.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked as I left the room.

"To go and get _our_ daughter, Ronald!" I left the room, fuming.

Rose was lying there, crying her lungs out. Why did she have to cry so much? I was exhausted! I picked her up, and tried to shush her. She just wailed louder. I felt like crying myself.

"Rose, _please_ go to sleep." I whispered, shutting my eyes tightly, trying to block out the sound of Rose wailing. Why on Earth was she wailing? She'd never wailed like that before. "Please." She didn't feel like doing as I asked, and wailed even more loudly. "SHUT UP, ROSE!" I yelled. She seemed to hear me that time. For a moment, she stopped wailing, she looked at me, her eyes wide in fear, her mouth open in shock. "No, Rose, sweetheart, I didn't mean that…" The rest of my words were drowned out by her screaming again.

"Here, I'll take her." I heard Ron say from behind me, coming into the room. He pulled Rose out of my arms, where she immediately made her wailing a lower volume. I felt awful. I shut my eyes. The image of Rose's face when I'd yelled at her was too much to bear, and I let a few tears out. "Are you OK Hermione?" I shook my head and opened my eyes.

"I-I need to…" I couldn't finish my sentence. I ran out of Rose's room, and down the stairs, while Ron yelled, "HERMIONE! COME BACK, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" I heard Rose stop wailing, and Ron come down the stairs after me, where he followed me to the Living Room.

"Where are you going Hermione?" I forced myself to look at him. That didn't help, since he looked just like Rose.

"Ron, I'm sorry, I just…need some time to sort this out."

"What are you talking about?"

"I yelled at her, Ron! My own daughter!"

"Hermione, it was once, OK?" Ron cupped my face to look at me.

"Ron, please let me go." I whispered. Ron looked too hurt for words. "I'm coming back, Ron, I promise. I'll be back before you wake up." And I meant that.

"Where are you going?" I thought for a moment.

"To Harry and Ginny's." I moved away from him and into the fireplace. "Ron, I just need sometime to think. I'm not leaving you, or Rose. I love you both, but I just need to see someone." And with that, I grabbed some floo powder, and flooed away.

**Phew! Another Chapter done! Sorry for all the delays, but I've been busy lately. Last Wednesday I had an HPV Injection, my very last of three, and my arm ached for days!**

**I might not be able to upload for a while, cus I'm heading to my grandparents this afternoon, and I'm not coming back till Sunday. **

**Tuesday, I got my HP and the DH: Part 1 DVD! I've watched it at least twenty five times already!**

**As always, leave reviews! I know this chapter probably sucks, but I haven't got a lot of inspiration yet. **

**Chapter 29 up as soon as I can! **


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

I stepped into Grimmauld Place from the fireplace. Immediately, I could hear Harry and Ginny rush down the stairs, their wands alight.

"Who's there?" I heard Harry ask. I cleared my throat.

"I-It's me, Hermione."

"Hermione?" I could hear the relief in Harry's voice, as he entered. His glasses were askew, and his pyjama shirt wasn't buttoned up correctly. As Ginny came into view, I saw her hair looked rather messed up. I raised an eyebrow at them.

"Not interrupting anything, am I?" They went bright red.

"N-no. What are you doing here? It's past midnight."

"I-I need to speak to Ginny." I gulped, not wanting to cry. Harry just looked at Ginny.

"Hermione, what's-?"

"Harry, go back upstairs. I'll be up in a while." Ginny said, cutting him off. When he didn't, she glared at him fiercely. "Go, I need to speak to Hermione." Harry left, looking reluctant. "What's the matter? Have you and Ron-?" I nodded.

"Yes. Well, no, not really. I…" I paused, then realised that no matter what I said, Ginny would never call me a bad mother. "I yelled at Rose, because she wouldn't stop crying." I bit my lip, trying not to cry. I felt Ginny's arms around me in the dark.

"Hermione, it's OK. I've felt like yelling at James and Albus every so often. It's OK." I sniffed, still not crying.

"I-It's just, the look on her face…"

"Hermione, she'll forget about it. She's got two loving parents, and it was just this one time. Soon, you'll be able to look back on it and laugh at how you're overreacting." I didn't quite believe that, but I nodded.

"G-Ginny? Did you really mean what you said at the Burrow?"

"Of course not!" She said it fiercely enough, so I believed her straight away. "Why would you ever think I did?" I shrugged, trying to make the situation seem better, even if it wasn't really. "Are you going back to Ron, then?" I nodded.

"I promised him that I'd be back by the time he woke up." I sniffed. "I just needed someone to talk to."

"Well, why don't you go back home now? You have work tomorrow, don't you?" I nodded. "Well, I can imagine that your work robes are at your house." I nodded again. "Well, why don't you just go back home. Knowing Ron, he's probably worried now. I'll be surprised if he hasn't already owled the rest of the family or something." I bit back a weak smile.

"Thanks Ginny. Have you-?"

"No, not yet." Ginny smiled, half amused, maybe a little annoyed. "I was going to do it soon, though." I nodded.

"Well, I'm pretty tired. Thanks for listening."

It's OK." After Ginny and I had said Goodbye, I flooed back to our house. The house was quiet. I yawned and went upstairs to Ron and mine's bedroom.

Ron was lying on top of the bed, on top of the covers, staring at the ceiling, his expression stony. As soon as he realised I'd entered the room, he was up off the bed, and across to me in seconds.

"You're back." He breathed, sounding relieved. I nodded.

"I promised I would be." He didn't say anything. "Come on, let's go to bed." He nodded. We both went and sat down on the bed, not saying anything, not really thinking of going to sleep.

"So, how's Ginny?" Ron croaked after a while. I looked at him and wondered if he'd possibly cried. I shook it off.

"She and Harry were fine. I don't think I woke them up." By the way the corners of my mouth were twitching, Ron seemed to realise what I meant. "Every thing's fine."

"T-That's good." The silence between us was quite awkward.

"So, has Rose woken up, since I left?"

"Er, no." He looked at me sideways. "Hermione-"

"Ron, listen, I promised I'd be back before you woke up."

"I know, I know. But, why did you yell at Rose." I didn't look at him. "I'm not blaming you or anything. No matter what, you're a great Mum." I smiled at him, for once.

"I know. But…" I hesitated. "I don't know. Maybe it's just… She kept on crying. And what Ginny had said earlier…it sort of just got to me, you know?" Ron nodded slowly, clearly not knowing, but trying to sympathise. I gave up being silent and cuddled into him gently, as I always did. His arm held me against him firmly.

"I missed you." He said gently. "Then again, I've probably told you that a million times in the past."

"It's fine. I was only gone for about, what, half and hour?" I breathed in his smell. He was wearing yet another Cannons T-Shirt. I smiled to myself. "Besides, I missed you too." I felt Ron bend down to kiss me on the top of my head. Everything was fine again. I yawned. "I think we should go to sleep, I'm exhausted." Ron chuckled to himself, before yawning too.

"OK." Ron and I laid down. Ron pulled me to his chest, and I was asleep in minutes.

* * *

A few days later, I was in Diagon Alley. I'd run out of ink, and as it was my lunch break, I'd decided to quickly pop to the shops and buy some more. I was also in need of a new quill.

As I entered the shop, I stopped dead in my tracks. A woman was standing by the counter, flirting with the Man at the till. He didn't say anything, just looked quite disgusted.

"And so, my dear man," The woman ran a highly manicured hand with long nails over his chest. "That is why you should hire me to work with you."

"I'm not hiring you, Lexis. I heard what happened with Weasley up the street. I'm not taking any chances." I stood there, mouth open. "Ah, Mrs Weasley! What can I do for you?" Lexis spun round, he blonde curls bouncing and catching the light spectacularly.

"Hello, Hermione." She beamed at me. I glared at her, and she looked shocked.

"Umm, Mrs Weasley?" I looked at the man at the till.

"Oh, I, er, I wanted to buy some ink, and maybe a new Quill." I went up to Lexis while the man went to go find my things.

"Listen, how's Georgie?" Lexis asked, looking at her nails.

"George is fine. No thanks to you." When she looked confused, I gave her my iciest glare, and hissed, "You knew he was married with kids, yet you still took advantage on him!"

"Listen, I thought you were meant to be smart. George doesn't need to be tied down so quickly."

"He's Twenty Eight, Twenty Nine in April!"

"So? He needs a _young_ woman. Oh, and how's Ronnie?"

"_Ron_, is perfectly fine," I said through gritted teeth. "We've had a daughter, and we're expecting another baby later on this year!"

"Oh, Congratulations!" When she went to hug me, I pushed her away. "Your daughter's called Rose, right? Ron told me a few days before I quit from George's shop." I was - there are no other ways to say this - quite pissed off.

"Get away from me!" I spat. The man had come back, but was watching us, prepared to Stun anyone if this got out of hand. "You've ruined George's life! You've ruined our whole family's life, because you're such a bitch!"

"Hermione, there's no need to cause an argument!" Lexis said. Her curls bounced more. For a moment, I actually considered ripping them away from her scalp.

"Stay away from George, and the rest of us. Just stay away!" I turned to the Till man, who was holding my things. "Thank you sir."

As I started leaving, I heard Lexis mutter, "Did you hear the article about that intruder last year? How many times she's been in the paper already - and that's not even counting the miscarriages!" I slowly turned around, and placed my bags on a nearby shelf. "It's no wonder she's so moody!" And then, I launched on her.

"Hey! Stop it!" The Shopkeeper yelled half-heartedly. "Not in my shop, ladies!"

"WHY ARE YOU SUCH A BITCH?" I screeched, giving her a black eye. I felt the Shopkeeper pull me away from Lexis, who backed away, trembling, sporting a bloody nose. I didn't even try to struggle away.

"Now, I may have to call the Ministry, or even one of those please-men, if it comes to it." The Shopkeeper said weakly. I knew that he couldn't call any Muggle Policemen, as that would expose the Wizarding World. "Now, Lexis, are you OK?" She didn't say anything. She just stared at me in horror. I had already started to regret my actions. Then, suddenly, there was a scurrying. The three of us looked over to the door of the shop, and saw a Wizard Reporter, carrying a camera and note pad. My heart stopped. The Shopkeeper let go of me and ran to try and catch him, although by the _POP!_ noise outside, and the stream of swearwords in the Shopkeepers voice, I could guess that he'd gotten away. I felt like breaking down. The Reporter/Photographer had seen me give Lexis a black eye. Tomorrow, this would be Front Page news. If I knew anything, this Reporter would give the story to Rita Skeeter now, so that I didn't know who he was. I let a few tears escape my eyes. The Shopkeeper came back.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Weasley." He said, looking at me apologetically. "He apparated, and there was nothing I could do."

"I-It's alright, really." He smiled weakly at me.

"One of the flaws of being famous, hey?" I nodded, trying to laugh. "This'll blow over eventually." I nodded again.

"Thanks. I have to get back to work."

"Of course. By the way, tell Mr Weasley that I give you two Best Wishes with your new baby."

"I will." And I apparated back to the work with my bags.

* * *

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?" I winced as Ron yelled the Next Morning. "Hermione, what is this?" As expected, he thrust this morning's Prophet under my nose.

"I know, Ronald. I don't need to, nor want to, see it." Although my eyes darted to the picture. My face filled most of the page, and let me just say, I didn't look good. Just like I'd predicted, Rita Skeeter's name was at the top of the page.

"What the Hell happened?"

"Oh, I met Lexis at the Shops yesterday." I said casually. Rose started sniffling from her high chair next to me. I picked her up. The cold she now had - which had woken us up on Sunday night - had arrived just the day before. I'd been so worried, that I'd almost taken the day off, before Molly owled me, telling me not to. Something told me that Ron had told her before heading off to work.

"Well, obviously. But why were you bloody punching her?"

"Doesn't it say in the article?" Obviously it wouldn't. "Read it to me, I need to keep an eye on Rose." Ron seemed reluctant, but read:

_War Hero fit to be Mother? by Rita Skeeter _

_Yesterday afternoon, Hermione Weasley, 27, was seen in a local shop, beating up young talented Witch, Lexis Samuels, aged 25. _

_Lexis was reportedly seen talking to the Shopkeeper about acquiring a job at the shop, when Mrs Weasley came in, asking for Ink and a New Quill. However, while the Shopkeeper was gone, Hermione Weasley found it perfectly normal to start up an argument with the girl, accusing her of an affair with a close family relative. The Shopkeeper came back at this point, and handed Mrs Weasley her shopping. _

_However, just as she was leaving, Mrs Weasley suddenly dropped her shopping, and attacked Miss Samuels, giving her a brutal black eye, before the Shopkeeper managed to pull the violent woman off Miss Samuels. Miss Samuels is, thank Merlin, not too badly hurt. But how many people have had to suffer this woman's wrath? A woman who is a War Hero?_

_There has been more concern, here at the Prophet, however, over the fact that she and Ronald Weasley have a daughter, no older then one year old. My dear readers, you will remember the article written last week, announcing Mrs Weasley's latest Pregnancy. I'm sure most of us here will remember that over the years, Mr and Mrs Weasley have fallen pregnant many times, three of them ending in much sadness. Well, we here at the Prophet have been asking ourselves whether Mr Ronald Weasley could of possibly abused his Wife, leading to her doing the same to poor random people. Could his abuse have possibly lead to the Miscarriages that were so widely reported? And what of Little Rose? Will she suffer these disgusting acts done by her parents? Are Ronald and Hermione Weasley fit to be parents? Should action be taken to prevent such cruelty? Should things like Social Services in the Muggle World be notified?_

_We will keep you updated. _

"WHAT BULLSHIT!" Ron yelled, scrunching up the paper. He looked at me. "Why did you have to get violent?"

"Didn't you read it properly? It was Lexis! And she was just being such a… Witch." I decided it would be best to ignore his vulgar language. Ron's eyes looked angry and upset, and his face was beet red.

"Surely nobody will believe this! Why would I abuse Rosie?"

"You wouldn't Ron, so maybe people won't believe it." Ron got up, knocking his chair over.

"Rita Skeeter is just sick." He spat. He didn't exactly sound angry at me, but I still felt guilty. "I mean, after all we've done to keep Rosie out of the papers, away from the glare of the cameras…Now all of this is happening."

"I know Ron, but there's not a lot we can do." I took a deep breath. "Look, if we don't go to work, people are going to suspect things. Anyway, we haven't done anything, so we can tell them that."

"Hermione, listen. What if it affects Harry and Mine's promotions? What if the Minister-?"

"Kingsley's the Minister. He won't do anything. Harry's the Head of The Auror Department. Nothing will happen." I said coolly. Although, I worried. "Let's just go to work and get it over and done with."

**Love it? Hate it? Well, at least I updated. I've been meaning to do so for a while, but I've been absorbed in other things. **

**Yes, I've changed my Username. JulietMontague505 (You know, like Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague) **

**Sorry about how short it is, but I have a bit of Writer's Block. I've corrected a mistake in this too! **

**Chapter 30 up soon! **

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! NOTHING TO HARSH AS WELL! PROMISE, THIS WILL CHEER UP! ~ JulietMontague505**


	30. Chapter 30

**And here is your early Christmas present: enjoy!**

Chapter 30

Over the next week the situation regarding the newspaper became no better; most of the mornings we'd be sitting down to eat breakfast when owls would arrive to drop off letters - and, being honest, they weren't all that pleasant to read.

"_How dare you beat that poor beautiful woman up..._ Hmm. Well, this was clearly written by a man - he keeps referring to her looks against mine."

Ron gave a small snort, throwing down one of the letters he was reading. "This is all barmy," He stated, shaking his head. "That article was complete and utter rubbish, for Merlin's sake - you'd have to be mental to believe it."

Luckily, Ron's temper had calmed down after the weekend - after all, that Friday was the night where we were going out to dinner to celebrate him and Harry being promoted. I guess it gave him something to look forwards to: I knew how proud he was of himself for being promoted - I mean, I was proud of him too! I had seen how hard he worked, what with his late nights working shifts and regular missions; him being promoted was a great way of rewarding him for all his hard work. Although, having said that, I supposed this also meant the shifts would be longer and the missions more dangerous...but this was Ron, for Merlin's sake. He could take care of himself without me hanging over him like his mother.

Rose, however, I _could_ hang over and baby.

"Seriously, Hermione," Ron mused one night when he watched me playing with her on the floor with some baby toys. "You coddle her sometimes, I swear."

"Oh, like you don't play with her," I shot back good-naturedly, rolling my eyes at him and turning back to our daughter. "You know, it's hard to believe that she's going to be two by the end of the year."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "One minute she's screaming bloody murder at us and next she's gonna be turning two and going into places she shouldn't."

I shot him a glare. "Don't swear around her - I don't want her first word to be a swear word."

My husband, ever the serious one out of the two of us, just shrugged. "What? I actually think it'd be pretty funny if the first thing she ever said was...I dunno...'bloody' or something."

Well, at least one of us thought it would be funny.

* * *

Being pregnant was already taking its toll on my body; finding a dress that wasn't too tight around my mid-section was annoying, especially since I really didn't want to waste money on something as pointless as an item of clothing for _one_ occasion. Okay, so Ron and I didn't exactly do so badly when it came to making money but that wasn't the point - there was no guarantee as to what would happen in the future, and it was best to keep some money aside for a 'just in case' situation.

_Hmm...I don't look any bigger_, I thought to myself, eying my reflection in the mirror critically; I was only a couple of months along, so it wasn't from the baby itself - I must have just put on weight because of cravings. _The baby is constantly hungry - I guess that's further proof who its Daddy is._

According to the Healers we had recently seen, the baby was due around the end of September and the beginning of October; of course, Ron and I couldn't have been more thrilled. Although it was still early days yet we were already planning on painting one of the spare rooms and making it into a bedroom for the baby in the months to come - of course we still had to wait to find out the sex of the baby, but we didn't really mind too much about that.

I sighed; that afternoon was Wednesday afternoon, two days before the party. I was having to work shorter hours now, thanks to Rose being clingy and the new baby arriving within the year, so I was often home before Ron was.

"What am I going to do?" I muttered, looking through the different dresses in the wardrobe. Rose was sat on the bed, playing some kind of game with her teddy and owl toy. She wasn't exactly a fashion expert, per say, but she was still good company - and if I could keep my eye on her then it didn't matter too much. "I suppose I could just enlarge the red one," I continued thoughtfully. "I know the spell for it...although, is that too dressy for a dinner?"

I gave a small sigh and sat back on the bed. Rose looked up from her toys and sent me a grin; if I didn't know any better, then I would have thought that she was amused by my problem - clothes obviously weren't something I usually cared about a lot, but this was a special dinner and I wanted to try and make an effort to look nice for it.

"Oh, sure," I said jokingly, reaching over and tickling her under the chin. "Laugh now, Missy, but just don't come running to me when you're fifteen and want help choosing dresses for balls or dances!"

She giggled even more, waving her chubby little fists around in the air and peering up at me with clear blue eyes. I had to admit, she was probably going to be more attractive than I was growing up: although, judging by the curls in her red hair that were starting to form, she was going to end up with my bushy hair. That I was sorry for; although I didn't care too much about looking good, there was no telling if she'd share this attitude once she became a teenager.

_Oh God. Thinking about her being a teenager is weird. It seems like only yesterday I was a teenager..._

Ron was just as unhelpful in the dress area; when I asked him for some suggestions he just shrugged and went back to reading his paper. "How would I know anything about dresses, 'Mione? I don't wear them."

"No, but you must know what dresses look alright on me," I stated, not giving up. "Come on, Ron: this is _your_ dinner we're going to - surely you can help me choose something to wear?"

He looked at me blankly. "I...uhmm..."

"Never mind," I gritted out, standing up and walking away. "I'll owl Ginny and ask for her advice."

Luckily, my sister-in-law was definitely more helpful than her brother; Ginny herself wasn't a particularly feminine woman either, what with having grown up with six older brothers, but she still knew a great deal more about fashion than I did.

"Hmm..." She said thoughtfully, eying the different dresses she had pulled out of my wardrobe and laid on the bed. "I think the blue would look very nice on you, Hermione, like at the Yule Ball. But the red would be a nice one too; it would be in true Gryffindor spirit. I suppose it's a matter of which one is more comfortable and which one you prefer."

"They're both very nice," I admitted, looking down at them. "I just don't wear them often because it just seems pointless wearing them for no real reason."

Ginny held both of the dresses up against my body, her mind working a mile a minute to make a decision. "The dark blue would definitely work very well," She decided, nodding to herself. "Dark blue is a nice contrast to your skin tone, and it would look really nice if you did your hair nice too. Do you still have some Sleekeazy's hair potion you can use?"

"Somewhere in my dresser."

"Use that," She told me, putting down the dresses and looking over my general appearance. "Luckily, you're glowing - hopefully you'll still be glowing tomorrow night at the dinner, because it really is a nice look. As for make-up...don't overdo it."

"Do I ever overdo it?" I asked dryly, causing Ginny to grin and shake her head. "I don't think there's any need to worry then."

* * *

The dinner started off so well - it was a shame that it got worse as the evening went on.

Okay, admittedly Ron and I hadn't exactly arrived on time; for a start, something about seeing me all dressed up _and _carrying his child made Ron suddenly want to do what can only be described as a severe amount of snogging. By the time I managed to extract myself from his arms I realized that we were two minutes late for the start of the dinner.

"Where is it even taking place?" I asked hurriedly, quickly putting a pair of nice earrings in and tucking a bushy lock of hair that had escaped the bun I'd put it in.

"Uhh..." I sent him a small glare; if he didn't know where it was... "Oh, yeah! We have a whole table booked in some restaurant down Diagon Alley!" He grinned. "See? I remembered."

Since I couldn't apparate (what with the baby's safety to consider), we had to floo to The Leaky Cauldron pub and just enter Diagon Alley through the archway. By the time we'd managed to find this restaurant that Ron had spoken about, we were at least fifteen minutes late to the dinner.

"What?" Ron asked cluelessly when I sent a look at him as a waiter lead us over to the table. "It's only fifteen minutes; besides, it's not my fault you look bloody gorgeous."

"Ah, Weasley!" One of the men from the table called, and we found our seats quickly. The man sent us a smirk. "Nice of you to finally join us, huh?"

Ron flushed beetroot red. "Sorry, Wilson. We were kinda busy..."

I had to try not to blush at the looks we were receiving; as soon as the night was over and Ron had had his fun, I was going to kill him.

It wasn't too difficult to fall into a conversation: many of the other Aurors had brought their wives or girlfriends with them, and I soon found myself chatting with Ginny and a nice dark-haired woman who was sat next to the man Ron called 'Wilson'.

"You must be so excited," The woman gushed, looking between Ginny and I. "I mean, you're both expecting children again - that's so amazing! When are you due?"

I put a hand on my stomach out of instinct - that was one habit I enjoyed during being pregnant. "Our Healer told us it would be around the beginning of October."

"Ours is the end of October," Ginny answered, somewhat amused. "For once, Hermione's having a baby before I am."

"You're both so lucky," The other witch sighed, looking somewhat saddened. "I've asked Josh so many times if we can try, but he always says he's too busy; that a child would just ruin things."

Ginny gave a small laugh. "Oh, trust me. They do - trust us, we have plenty of experience."

From what I could tell, everyone in attendance was pleased that Harry and Ron had both been promoted; just after our main course someone broke out a bottle of Firewhiskey and started to pour it generously into our glasses. Being pregnant, Ginny and I had to decline - but Ron and Harry seemed to have no qualms and they both heartily accepted full glasses.

"Three cheers to Potter and Weasley!" Someone called, and everyone else gave yells of agreement; Ginny and I yelled along with them, although we just sipped at our drinks while everyone else downed glasses of alcohol.

"So, you must be Hermione," One man - a dark-skinned one who seemed to grin a lot - stated. "You will not believe how much Ron goes on about you."

Ron gave a hiccup but was sober enough to go red. "I-It's not like that, Joe..."

Everyone laughed at this, and I couldn't help but give an embarrassed smile. Joe chuckled along with everyone else and leaned closer, as if telling me a secret. "It is; he keeps pictures of you and your daughter on his desk, you know."

"Oh, I've seen those!" A female co-worker agreed, beaming brightly. "She really is a cutie, isn't she? How old is she now?"

I opened my mouth to answer, only to be cut off by Ron. "Fifteen months...so...that's a year and three months, right?"

Most of the women cooed at the impressive knowledge he was showing, and he grinned sheepishly at me. I just rolled my eyes good-naturedly and smiled; of all the things he'd remember, it would be that.

"And how long until the second one?" A woman from down the other end of the table asked eagerly. "I heard about it in _The Daily Prophet_."

Her boyfriend snorted. "Yeah, and Ron boasting the day after he found out."

"The Healers told us that they're due around the end of September, maybe early October," I answered, resting both my hands on my full stomach; being pregnant had made me hungrier than usual. "So it's going to be about seven months or so."

The others at the table broke out into excited chatter, congratulating us before turning the conversation topic to Harry and Ginny's new baby. I had to admit, as much as I liked people congratulating us, I didn't really like talking about it so openly; it was personal...and, again, it was only early days yet.

While everyone started joking and teasing each other, I fell into a conversation with a few of the other women about the latest article in the newspapers; besides the false article about me beating someone up for no reason it turned out that Kingsley had been planning to arrange a ceremony for the next year to honour all of those who fought and died in the war nine years ago - the ceremony would be on the tenth anniversary of the war, to be exact.

And then everything went downhill at the sound of a familiar voice piping up.

"...Well, as fun as it is to congratulate Potter and Weasley on their new spawn, I believe that there are more important matters to discuss."

I didn't even have to turn my head to know that it was none other than Lawrence. Good grief, who invited him to this dinner? I mean, I knew he was one of Ron and Harry's co-workers but why invite him to this happy occasion?

"Come on, Lawrence," Wilson said loudly, putting on a nervous smile. "It's a celebration - we don't need to worry about work right now-"

"But why exactly are we celebrating _this_?!" Lawrence sneered, looking directly at Harry and Ron. I could see the smiles drop off of their faces from the corner of my eye. "We're putting _Potter_ of all people as Head of the Department - I mean, look at the first thing he's done! He first thing he did was promote Weasley, for Merlin's sake!"

Harry eyed Lawrence up with disgust; I could only hope that as Head of the Auror department it meant that he might be able to fire Lawrence at the very least. "I'm deeply sorry that you don't agree with my decision," He muttered dryly in a way that told everyone at the table he wasn't sorry at all. "But as the Head, I think I am fully within my rights to promote someone who's been working in the department for years and risked his life to complete many different missions."

All of us gave nods and smiles of agreement - except Lawrence, of course. He just eyes Harry and Ron up, as if wondering how much he could say without anyone fighting back physically. "Yes...but _Weasley_?! I mean, you must be joking!"

The look on my brother-in-law's face told me that he wasn't joking in the slightest.

"He's hardly that big a man, though," Lawrence snorted, shaking his head in contempt. Ron tensed up beside me, and I put a hand on his arm to try and calm him. "I mean, didn't he end up in St. Mungo's after a mission? Hardly that great an auror to end up under the care of Healers."

I wondered if it was possible to do accidental magic while pregnant because I could feel my temper rising quickly - when it had happened while I was pregnant with Rose, I ended up breaking things without meaning to.

"I think you should just...relax," Joe muttered, putting a hand on his co-worker's shoulder. Lawrence just shook it off. "You've just been drinking to much of the Firewhiskey, it's no big deal..."

"No big deal?" Lawrence snorted. "I'm _so_ sorry that I don't want to be bossed around my an incompetent inferior such as Weasley."

_Hermione, calm down...there's no need to stress or get angry...Oh, I just hope that Ron doesn't get too angry..._

"Lawrence, please-"

Lawrence just smirked at Ron, leaning back in his chair casually. "What's the matter, Weasley? Haven't got the guts to fight for yourself like a real man?"

I squeezed Ron's hand, silently begging him not to do anything rash. He squeezed back tightly, a sign that he was close to losing it soon.

"I actually feel pretty sorry for you, Weasley," Lawrence continued, smiling as though he was some kind of God. "I mean, the only way you can prove you have a pair of _balls_ is by getting your wife knocked up again and again."

There was an uproar as just about every man sat at the table jumped up and pulled their wands out, pointing them at Lawrence; Ron's hand ripped out of my grasp, and he tried to get closer so that he could punch the evil sod. I grabbed his wrist, pulling him back: as much as I completely agreed this vile person deserved it, violence was not appropriate.

Harry had also leapt forwards; Ginny hadn't even been quick enough to try and hold him back, and he was now glaring down at Lawrence with his wand pointed at his chest. "I can have you fired, you know," He seethed angrily. "In fact, that's what I'm going to do."

The silence in the room was deafening - everyone was watching to see what Harry did next.

"Lawrence: you're fired," Harry snapped, sparks flying out of the end of his wand. "And before you say anything, I _can_ fire you - I'm the Head of Department now, and whatever I say goes."

Although I was flooded with relief that we might have finally seen the last of this smug git I couldn't help but continue glaring at Lawrence as he silently stood up and stalked away with an unpleasant look on his face.

Finally, Joe broke the silence by coughing. "Well...I guess all I can say is...Thank Godric he's gone."

**Whoo! Okay, so...you're probably wondering what happened to me. It's really a very funny story...uhh...well, it's not actually but still...**

**Okay, so I got obsessed with Team Starkid's AVPM (if you haven't already, check it out!) and then I realized that the guy playing Harry appears on Glee regularly so I decided to check that out too...and that obsession kind of took over the Harry Potter one since Harry Potter was just about ending at this time. **

**Anyway, over the last month I've recently discovered a new love for Harry Potter; because I'm a teenager (15 and nearly 16! :D) it holds a deeper meaning to me now...and of course Romione is still the best! **

**I hope that you've found that my writing style has improved greatly - it's not been easy writing this because I haven't done so for a while. But I guess this is kinda like Hogwarts: I'll always come back to it in the end in some way. **

**Unfortunately, I have many stories being written at the moment so I can't tell you when I can update. Hopefully the next update shouldn't be two and a half years away!**

**So, sorry for not updating. I completely lost track of everything and where my obsessions were out of control...but hi again! :D Love you all!**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Over the weekend, despite the positive news that Lawrence had been fired, Ron's mood didn't rise; I felt so angry! I know that I shouldn't have, considering it would have been bad for the baby... But that dinner was meant to be a night to celebrate his and Harry's achievements, and for such a...a toad to ruin it...

"It's going to be okay, Ron," I told him gently on Saturday morning, shooting him a small smile to try and cheer him up. "You don't have to deal with him anymore; you're free, really."

"I suppose," He muttered in a monotone, hardly touching his food. The fact that he wasn't stuffing his face was worrying in itself - for him to barely eat at all was unusual and a clear indication that he was truly upset by how the previous night had been ruined.

I put a hand on his and just stared at him for a moment, trying to think of something to cheer him up. "Don't worry," I said quietly. "He's been _fired_; he'll hardly be allowed to work in the Ministry _at all_, let alone reapply to be an Auror. And besides, Harry wouldn't be stupid enough to employ him again."

My husband brightened up considerably at this. "Yeah, you're right," He stated, picking up his fork and shovelling some breakfast into his mouth. "Than's Her'ione!"

"Any time, Ron," I said, somewhat amused by how quickly his demeanour had changed.

Besides this, though, we had an obvious problem: the hate mail hadn't stopped simply because Ron had been promoted of course, so we were still receiving letters from angry wizards and witches who believed the stories reported in the newspaper.

"Okay, now this is ridiculous!" I snapped angrily on Monday morning, scanning a letter written on purple paper in disgust. "Since when have _either_ of us stated that we hate children?! I mean, we have a daughter, another baby on the way and we're _always_ at your Mum's playing with the children!"

Ron gave a snort, although I could tell that he was in a foul mood thanks to post that morning. "Yeah, well, this tosser's convinced that you hit Lexis 'cause _I _slept with her. It's bloody stupid!"

"You know what?" I seethed, severely annoyed. "I'm not reading anymore of these letters - any other letters go straight into the fire! And as for that _awful_ article, I'm writing a complaint to the Prophet and ending this ordeal!"

Ron's eyes widened slightly at this. "You're not really going to...you know...complain, are you? I mean, it's not exactly their fault-"

"They printed it!" I stated incredously. "I know that it was Skeeter who wrote it, but the Prophet actually printed it! Surely the editors have enough common sense to realize that it's all lies?!"

Ron said nothing else, looking rather surprised by my outburst, and immediately returned to eating his breakfast - clearly he was too scared to try and argue with me. Being honest, I didn't blame him: ever since I'd become pregnant, my hormones had been out of control - honestly, I was snapping at people for the smallest things, but then, five minutes later, I'd feel completely guilty and sorry about it.

Oh. Well. Not all of it was bad; besides the morning sickness. cravings and hormonal problems I'd found that being pregnant had made my sexual urges increase...again, it was probably to do with the hormones but enduring and solving that particular problem resulted in more positive than negative feelings.

Besides, it wasn't like Ron said no during those times - in fact, I was confident in the knowledge that he rather enjoyed it.

* * *

"This is ridiculous!"

Ron looked up from where he was playing with Rose, who was in his lap, and gave me a clueless look. "What?"

"Do you remember I said I was going to write to the Prophet a few days ago?" Ron gave a nod. "They've just written back, and...just listen to this!" I cleared my throat and started to read from the piece of paper in my hand. "_Dear Mrs Weasley, we are greatly saddened that you feel this way about the article...unfortunately, there is nothing that we can do at the present time..."_

"And that's bad?" Ron asked unsurely.

I sent him a glare. "Didn't you hear me? Saying that there's nothing they can do-"

"Well, yeah, that's kind of stupid," Ron agreed quickly, clearly not wanting to get on my bad side. He was quite distracted from his playing with Rose at this point, and he ended up with a tiny hand reaching up and grabbing at his shirt collar. "Ow...Rosie...just sit still for a second, yeah?"

Rose gave a giggle. "No!"

Nice to know our daughter was stubborn and not willing to back down - even in just pulling at her father's clothes.

"Look," Ron stumbled, trying to talk while our child started touching his face in interest. "Is that all they said? 'Cause maybe they- mphh!"

I had to hold in my laughter when Rose put her hand on his lips and started pulling them apart to see what was inside of them.

"Well, they _did_ say that they'd try to stop his kind of thing from happening in the future... but that's not the point!" I stated, sighing and collapsing on the sofa next to him. "There's nothing we can really do except wait for all of the hate mail to stop - and then the fact that they brought Rose into all of this. I mean, she's not even two and the newspapers are trying to report on her!"

"Yeah, well...that's kinda a disadvantage of saving the world, isn't it?" Ron lifted Rose so that she wasn't in his lap and put her on the floor; she immediately stood up and shakily started to walk around to explore the surroundings. We both watched her for a few moments, marvelling in the very being that we had created. "She's so...little still."

"And innocent," I agreed quietly, leaning on him. "Too little and innocent to be brought up in newspapers."

Ron simply nodded and gave Rose a grin as she crawled back to him. "Hey again, Rosie!" He picked her up and pulled her into his arms. She gave a small giggle as he did this and looked up at him with wide blue eyes. "So, what do you wanna do?"

"Story!" She announced immediately.

_And that's another thing she has probably inherited from me._

Ron sent me a small look, clearly agreeing with what I had previously been thinking. "A story, hey? Wonder who that reminds me of..."

"Oh, shut up," I muttered, although I was smiling to myself. "You've been saying all along that she'll be clever - now you have proof."

* * *

Luckily, over the next couple of months, everything started to calm down - soon Ron and I could sit and eat breakfast without a single owl delivering a letter filled with hateful messages.

"It's about bloody time," Ron muttered when I mentioned this to him. "I was getting sick of the feathers in my toast."

Rose certainly hadn't minded the feathers, though; every morning she would pick up as many owl feathers as she could and she had waved them around while giggling in amusement. To top it all off, poor Pig had become Rose's newest playmate: although he'd seemed quite excited at first and zoomed around her head to amuse her, it was clearly too much when she started squeezing him and clutching at his tail feathers.

Indeed that morning she looked rather put out that there were no pretty feathers on the table and it was with a rather sad look that she ate her baby formula.

"Well, I'm just glad that I don't have to burn these things anymore," I said briskly, opening the newest copy of _The Daily Prophet_: when it didn't report about us, I had no problem in reading it. "It was getting rather tiresome, all of that burning paper crackling. It smelt awful too."

Rose gave a small gurgle as she looked up at Ron, who was trying to spoon some food into her mouth. "What is this?" He asked, almost to himself, pulling the spoon away from her. He shrugged and started to put the spoon to his own mouth, about to taste it.

Immediately Rose gave a cry of panic. "No! Mi-ine!"

I looked over my newspaper at the two of them, somewhat amused. Ron eyed our daughter up for a moment, spoon still in his hand, and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but I'm just-"

"Mi-ine!" She repeated sternly, and I had to hold back my laughter at the serious tone in her voice.

"But I can't have even a little bit?"

"No!"

Only these two - my husband and our daughter - would argue over food of all things. Story-time? No problem, she liked stories and he didn't mind reading them. Going to sleep? She'd do it immediately for him. But sharing food...it seemed that neither of them were quite so willing to that one.

"Hermione!" Ron pleaded, turning to me. "Tell her! I only wanna try a little bit!" Rose sent me a look, clearly waiting for me, the 'sensible' parent, to intervene with what Ron was doing.

I knew immediately who I was choosing to side with. "Ronald, you have your own breakfast. Leave hers alone before you upset her," I chided, although there was a smile on my face so that he'd realize I wasn't taking this very seriously.

I heard Ron mutter something extremely similar to, 'I'm your bleeding husband', and shook my head at him. Honestly, he _was_ a grown man - he didn't need to try our daughter's baby formula of all things.

"Anything in the paper?" He asked, giving the spoonful of food to Rose reluctantly.

I shook my head. "Not much, apart from a couple of underage wizards pulling a prank... Apparently they drew Dark Marks on their arms and went around Hogwarts telling everyone that they were Death Eaters."

Ron gave a snort. "Bloody Hell. They get worse as time goes on. Then what?"

"Well, it was only the first and second years that reacted badly - the older years knew it was a joke, of course. Luckily, the staff appeared to have dealt with it reasonably well; because of the panic it caused, though, they've given them detentions for the next two months." I turned a page in the newspaper, giving it a rather disapproving look. "Honestly, you'd think that they would have learnt something from their lessons..."

"Or the Chocolate Frog cards of us," Ron agreed. "Blimey, though. Imagine..." He paused, turning something over in his mind. "Hermione? You...You don't think that anything will happen do you? You know, when Rosie gets to Hogwarts?"

My answer was immediate and confident. "No, of course not. Hogwarts is one of the safest places in our world-"

"Oh, yeah, it's really safe," Ron snorted. "Yeah, I remember now: three-headed dogs, a forest full of _huge _spiders, bloody huge snakes, Dementors, Death Eaters breaking in, a huge battle... Totally safe."

"It's different now," I insisted, closing the paper and folding it on half; once I had put it on the table I placed my hands on my slightly swollen stomach and rubbed circles into it. "Back then, Voldemort was still...well, not alive, but he was around. Now there are probably more spells and enchantments on the castle than there before - Rose will be perfectly safe when she goes." I sent him a look, somewhat confused. "That's rather far into the future, Ron; she's not even two yet."

My husband just shrugged - but his cheeks went red. "Well...you know...she's going to be brilliant, isn't she? And she's not gonna stay two forever though; she's going to have to get older."

As he said this, I looked at Rose and couldn't help but silently agree with what he had told me - especially the last bit.

**Hello! Anybody there? *pokes screen monitor and pouts***

**So, Happy Belated Christmas and an early Happy New Year! :) I'm really sorry I abandoned this story, guys, I really am, but I'm back now! (Like Ron in Deathly Hallows - I re-read the part where he left on Christmas morning when I couldn't sleep and I practically bawled by eyes out...and then I was in a pub when I read about him coming back to Harry and Hermione...safe to say, the other people in there were NOT too pleased with my shouting!)**

**I'm also sorry that I've got insane writer's block - when I was writing it before I could just make up whatever on the spot and it'd be okay but I'm kinda drained...but, once Hugo comes along and the kids grow up a little, there's plenty of things to be done! :D**

**Anyway, feel free to drop a review! (they're like crack to me)**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"Let's see...ah! Here we are!"

Ron and I both hurriedly looked to the screen; an image appeared on the screen...our baby. The nurse was pointing at the picture, a wide smile on her face; her other hand was holding a transducer probe to my swollen stomach, detecting the image of the baby.

"Now...nice and healthy," She continued approvingly. "Rather big too, clearly getting all of the nourishment needed... Yes, they are doing well."

"Well, that's a relief," I breathed out, suddenly feeling a lot better. For weeks I had been worrying and nervous that things weren't going to go okay - after all, I had good reason to think so - but now that we were sure...I could focus on being happy.

The nurse scribbled down some notes on a piece of paper for later reference and turned back to us. "The heartbeat is normal, they're growing at a good pace... You are how many weeks along, Mrs Weasley?"

I didn't even need to hesitate. "Just about twenty weeks."

"And the due date?"

"My last doctor said it's the beginning of October," I stated, running a hand down my stomach; it was still covered in sticky gel, and I shivered slightly since it was quite cold. "Within the first two weeks."

"Can you tell what they are yet?" Ron asked, blurting it out and then going bright red. "You know...boy or girl?"

"Certainly," The nurse agreed, nodding her head and smiling. "I take it you would like to know then?"

I could remember Molly saying that she had liked being surprised (well, it was hardly that big a surprise for her: the first six were boys), that she liked the anticipation of waiting months and getting to guess.

But, honestly, Ron and I needed to know: for one thing, we had to try and agree on a name that we both approved of, and then there was the baby's room - we had yet to sort that out, admittedly.

Ron looked at me, relying on my opinion (he clearly believed that going against me was not a good idea); he had looked and sounded eager to find out so I gave a nod and smiled in confirmation. "Go on then," Ron said, a grin on his face.

There was a long moment of silence as she re-checker the image on the screen...the tension was rising...

"It's a boy," The nurse announced, giving us a congratulatory smile. "A very healthy and beautiful baby boy."

Ron clutched my hand tightly. "A...boy? So...So that's definite?"

"Oh, yes," The nurse laughed, quite amused by his ramblings. "Believe me, Mr Weasley, many parents say that kind of thing when they find out the sex of their baby... But yes, this little one is definitely a boy."

A boy...my heart swelled. While I certainly didn't mind what gender the baby was, I couldn't help but feel somewhat pleased; this meant that we had both a son _and_ a daughter, one of each...

Our family was complete.

* * *

Although Ron and I were both clearly pleased that we were expecting a healthy baby boy soon, I couldn't help but worry about something else entirely; it was so silly, I knew that, but I suppose that my hormones just got the better of me.

It was clear that Rose was a Daddy's girl; Ron had done nothing but dote on her since she'd been born, and it was obvious that she _loved_ receiving such attention from him. But now, with another baby on the way...a boy at that...I couldn't help but wonder if this would change.

It was silly, and I knew that; of course things wouldn't change too much! Ron loved Rose more than anything, and just because we were having another baby it didn't mean that he'd love her any less. But still...some part of me _did_ worry that perhaps something between them _would_ change.

Thankfully, I was proved wrong within days of the worries starting.

It wasn't until one night, a few days after the scan, when I was trying to clean the house a little; Rose's toys were scattered just about everywhere in our home, and it was literally impossible to walk around without stepping on one. The small soft toys weren't so bad of course...no, it was the harder ones that were the trouble.

I gave a small groan as I straightened up, a rag doll (made by Molly of course) in my hand, and used my free hand to rub at my back. As much as I loved being pregnant and feeling a baby kicking lively inside of me, the back aches were not such a pleasant side effect.

I was just muttering words under my breath, wishing that my back would stop aching, when I heard Ron's voice from our daughter's room - he was in charge of putting her to bed that night. Well, he was in charge of putting her to bed every night; according to Molly, most toddlers were likely to have certain rituals, such as drinking from the same cup every day, being read to every night before going to sleep... For Rose, it was she had to be put to bed by Ron and then read a bedtime story.

"...Yeah, okay, now that we've tucked Errol the owl under the blanket, you ready to sleep?"

"Uh-huh!" I heard Rose say eagerly.

I couldn't help myself: I edged closer to the door to Rose's room, wanting to listen to this - I'd never actually seen or heard this ritual before, so it was quite intriguing to got the chance to experience it.

"Right then," Ron continued, and I heard him sit down on the edge of her bed. Since our daughter had taken to trying to climb out of her cot the past few times, we had both decided it was high time that she started using a toddler bed. The only disadvantage to this was that she often got out of bed during the early hours of the morning and woke us up. "Since your Mum said I'm not allowed to tell you about the Warlock with the hairy heart, I guess we'll have to just skip that one."

_Damn right_, I thought approvingly, glad that Ron had actually listened to me for once: I mean, _The Warlock's Hairy Heart_ was not an appropriate bedtime story for a toddler!

"Let's see...Aha! The next on is _Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump_. I like that one, so let's get going."

He was such a child, honestly.

I listened by the door silently, a smile on my face as Ron read the story from a book to Rose; occasionally Rose would pipe up and giggle or ask questions, but for the most part she seemed quite appeased by the bedtime story. I wasn't surprised - what toddler wouldn't like hearing about magic and wands?

After the story had finished, I heard Ron close the book and Rose let out a small groan. "More!"

"There isn't anymore," Ron laughed affectionately. "Story's finished Rosie."

"Oh," She muttered, somewhat disappointed.

I heard the bed creak as Ron stood up. "Come on, Rosie: time to get some sleep." Rose let out a small noise of disagreement but gave in - from what I could tell, he was probably re-tucking her in. "Tell you what, I'll stay until you fall asleep, 'kay?"

"Mmm-hmm, Dadda."

I continued cleaning up after that; it felt kind of wrong to be standing there and listening to all of the sweet nothings he whispered to her to get her to sleep. These things were meant to be between them and no one else, even if I _was_ curious.

However, I couldn't miss the sound of Ron's voice as he left through the door ten minutes later, shutting it behind him.

"Love you, Rosie."

* * *

That night, it was quite a tad difficult to fall asleep; I could feel our son kicking actively for at least an hour before I eventually managed to fall into a sleep. This was not made any better by the fact that Ron fell asleep in no time and was soon snoring loudly; after a while, he grumbled and turned on his side, wrapping his arm around me so that I couldn't escape. When I _did_ fall asleep, I found myself dreaming.

_ I was in a large room but there were no doors - no escape. I could hear screams echoing around me, but I had no idea where they were coming from: all I knew was that they were painful to hear._

_That was when I realized I was no longer twenty seven - instead, I was eighteen years old again...and I recognised those screams to be Ron and Harry's. I immediately knew where I was._

_Malfoy Manor_

_And then there was the pain...Oh, Merlin, the pain as the torturing curse ran through me. I could feel myself screaming and crying for some kind of mercy...I didn't know where it was! I didn't know the goblin either! I lied through my teeth, proclaiming that the sword was fake..._

_I watched it all play out, up until Griphook had declared the sword to be a fake: and then I heard Bellatrix - that she-devil - say that Greybeck could have me...that there was no use for me._

_But this time, Ron and Harry hadn't escaped: they were still trapped in the basement downstairs, trying to figure something else. I was being dragged out...I could smell rank breath...this was going to be the end..._

"HERMIONE!"

I jolted up, sweating and with tears rolling down my cheeks. Ron was also sat up, looking at me worriedly; once he saw the expression on my face, though, I knew that he had understood.

"Oh," He said softly. "It was...yeah?"

I nodded stiffly, hurriedly wiping at my face; I was being stupid, it wasn't happening anymore...I was at home in bed with my husband, not in the manor...

I felt arms wrap around me and Ron pressed a kiss to my temple comfortingly. "Hey, it's okay. Everything's okay."

Nightmares weren't as common as they used to be; they were no longer regular and monthly at the least, and I could quite comfortably live life without dwelling on that event - I wanted to forget it as if it never happened. But every now and then it would come back, usually when I was vulnerable in some way: in this case, pregnant and emotional.

"I'm okay," I managed, voice somewhat calm. "I...I just need some water."

I didn't feel much in the mood for conjuring some water with my wand, what with no container to put it in, so I decided to grab my robe and head down to the kitchen. However, just as I was passing Rose's room, I heard a loud creak from within.

_Hmm..._ I thought tiredly. _Rose is just probably having another wander again. I better put her back to bed. _I pushed the door open and walked in, expecting to see my toddler sitting on the floor or walking around the room.

Instead I saw a tall figure standing by her bed; I couldn't see their face, but I saw their silhouette due the moonlight filtering through the window. Since Ron was in bed and this was definitely not Rose, I froze up immediately.

The figure turned to me and raised their wand.

I let out a yell, hoping to wake Ron up in the next room so that he'd come and help; I'd left my wand by my bed, so I was unarmed and defenceless.

The curse the figure sent at me missed me by inches: figuring that they would get their aim correct the next time, I threw myself out of the way of the next one. Rose started to wake up, giving sleepy gurgles and shifting in her bed.

The bedroom door burst open again, and Ron came racing in. "'Mione! What's going o-"

He was cut off by a curse hitting the wall behind him, and he also turned to look at the figure.

"OI!" He snarled, pulling his own wand out of his robe and charging forwards. "_Get away from my family, you bastard_!" He shot a few various spells at the intruder, but it was all in vain - they disapparated with a loud _CRACK!_ noise and were gone.

I shakily stood up, staring at the spot where the person had been moments ago with wide eyes. "That...That was..."

"Bloody Hell," Ron breathed, looking utterly shocked. "Just...Bloody Hell. What was _that_?!"

"I don't know," I replied shakily, taking a few steps closer to him. "I h-heard a noise and came in...I thought it was Rose, t-that she'd woken up...but it was someone else."

We were interrupted by a loud wail; all of the commotion had clearly woken Rose up, and she lifted her arms out for us from her bed. Ron bent down and pulled her into a hug immediately, looking rather troubled. "Hey, don't cry, Rosie...it's gonna be okay..."

Both of us knew deep down it wasn't okay - after a year, the intruder had returned again.

**Dun dun dun! :D See, I told you I'm back for real! :D I'm back everyone, I swear!**

**And, as I said at one point in a note before: everything in this story will be solved. As I recall, we don't know anything about the intruder - but we will by the time this story is finished.**

**Please leave reviews!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"And it's in the bloody newspaper!"

I stared at Ron in disbelief. "How? We haven't told anyone except for Harry!"

Ron just glared at the paper, going bright red with anger. "You don't think old Mrs Gren from next door tipped the _Prophet_ off, do you? It seems like something she'd do, spying and gossiping about people-"

"And how would Mrs Gren know?"

"In case you didn't notice, 'Mione, those spells did a lot of damage to Rosie's bedroom," My husband stated, throwing down the paper and giving his breakfast a rather sour look. "She probably heard it from next door and told people that something was going on-"

"Yes, but she wouldn't have know that it was the intruder, would she?" Although she had probably read about last year's incident in the newspaper, how was she to know that that was what had happened recently? Ron opened his mouth and closed it again, clearly thinking it over. "Look, chances are that someone overheard what I told Harry over lunch yesterday and then reported it to the paper - or a reporter heard it and thought it'd make a good story. But we can't go around accusing our neighbours, Ronald!"

Ron's shoulders slumped, clearly giving in. Rose seemed to notice this and leaned across to him from her high-chair to try and put a hand on his shoulder; she must have wanted a cuddle or something. Ron gave our daughter a small smile and lifted her out of her seat so that she was sitting in his lap; she nestled into his work robes happily, gurgling something to him in her baby language.

"So," I said suddenly, feeling somewhat guilty that I was breaking a moment. "The baby's a boy; we need to start coming up with names soon."

"And decorate the room," He added, nodding and giving a sigh. "Yeah, I guess so. Although...maybe..." He hesitated, keeping his eyes trained on Rose as she picked up his utensils from breakfast and started banging them against the table happily. "Hermione, you don't think that we should move, do you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "No, not really. I rather like this house; it's big enough for a family, and there's a garden outside so that the children can play. Why?"

Ron just watched Rose for another few moments, suddenly looking quite worried. "It's just that, what with the intruder and all, maybe it's not safe anymore. For us, or for Rose." He paused, eyes flickering over to my swollen stomach. "Or the baby."

I was surprised by how much thought he'd put into this but I could see what he meant. "Well, I think that with a few extra precautions maybe-"

"They apparated in here," Ron said bluntly. "They apparated in Rosie's room the other night without us knowing...I mean, if you hadn't gone to check on her..." I couldn't help but notice that his hold on Rose became tighter.

"Let's not think about that," I told him hurriedly, finishing my morning cup of tea and sitting back in my chair. "We were there, Ron, that's all that matters."

"But what if next time...just say..."

The images swirling in my brain were giving me a headache, and I rubbed at my temples tiredly. "Please don't."

"But we need to keep her safe," Ron continued to insist. "And this new baby. I mean, I like this house as much as you do, love, but if it's not safe...maybe it'd be best if we moved."

He was somewhat right there - it was clear he'd been thinking this over since the break-in. "But what about the money?" I asked weakly. "Ron, at the minute we have to pay for bills and for Rose and...and then there's the new baby! Think about how much money we're spending: it's just not possible for us to buy a new house."

"Then I'll do extra work," Ron insisted, and Rose started to play with the buttons on his work robes in a rather fascinated way. "Yeah, I can do extra work at George's shop at the weekend or something...I mean, it won't be a lot at first, but if we saved up-"

"Moving will be stressful," I reminded him. "I read in one of those pregnancy books that moving puts stress on both the mother and baby. Besides, Ron, you'd hardly be home if you were working at George's shop _and_ as an Auror; you wouldn't be able to see Rose as often or play with her."

He shook his head, clearly not agreeing. "Look, I'm not saying it's ideal or anything, but what else are we meant to do, Hermione? Just sit here and wait for that git to break in again?"

"No," I said sternly, trying not to let this turn into an argument. "But we can't just move, Ron; first of all, Rose is not old enough to be put into a new environment yet. Moving would upset her, she wouldn't know where she's going, and it's not worth the stress."

Ron opened his mouth and then shut it, not able to come up with an acceptable comeback. "Fine," He muttered, and he was suddenly passing Rose into my arms. "I better get going."

"Oh, don't be like that," I told him, frowning as he stood up. "All I said was that it would be rather difficult at the moment, what with everything that's been going on lately-"

"But we're in danger!" Ron protested, looking down at me pleadingly. "Hermione, someone keeps on breaking in! They were in _Rose_'s room a couple of nights ago - what if it happens again? What if we can't get there? What...What if..."

I bit my lip, seeing how upset he was. "We can't do it just based on 'what if', Ron..." I still felt rather guilty for shooting his idea down - although I still thought what I had said was right, I could tell that he was just thinking about our well-being. "Look, let's...wait and see what happens. If it _does_ happen again, then fine. We'll look for another house."

"How do you know we're all going to be okay if it happens again?"

I couldn't answer that, quite horrified by the prospect of something so terrible happening. While I hesitated, Ron turned on me and muttered a small, "I'm going to work" before apparating away.

* * *

Things were somewhat cold between us for the next few days; while it was definitely nothing compared to some of the arguments we'd had when we were teenagers, it was still enough to make us not want to talk to each other very much. It wasn't until the Monday the following week that we had finally managed to get over our slight disagreement - and it wasn't even one of us who made the move.

I had been resting on the sofa, a book spread out in my lap and fingers resting on the edge of the page, itching to go on. Suddenly, I felt a small jolt from inside my stomach - the baby was moving, kicking hard inside of me. Okay, so it wasn't the first time he'd kicked...but it was still exciting!

"Ron!" I called urgently, hurriedly shutting my book and standing up to look for my husband - he was, of course, in the kitchen and looking through the cupboards for some kind of afternoon snack. He looked up when he saw me, rather alarmed by my sudden excitement. "Come on, it's the baby!"

I grabbed for his hand and placed it over my swollen belly; after a few seconds there was a couple of kicks. "Blimey," Ron said, quite awed. "He's got a good one, hasn't he? Hey, maybe he'll be a pretty good Keeper or something..."

"I wonder who he'll take after there," I laughed teasingly, smiling up at my husband. "For all we know, he might not want to play Quidditch."

"Yeah, but still...he'd make a pretty good player," Ron insisted, pulling his hand away somewhat reluctantly. "I mean, what with how many of us are in the family who play Quidditch-"

"Yes," I agreed, somewhat amused. "But then again, he might take after me and be completely rubbish at flying."

Deep down, I secretly hoped he'd be a Quidditch player like his father.

* * *

When I had been pregnant with Rose, I had been rather lucky; most of the pregnancy the weather outside had been cold, thanks to the Autumn and Winter arriving as I got larger. However, with this baby, I soon discovered that being pregnant during the Summer was one of the most uncomfortable things in the world.

It didn't help that we had record temperatures that Summer either.

"Merlin, it's bloody hot," Ron groaned, collapsing on the sofa next to me. I had previously been attempting to read a book, but in the end I had been too uncomfortable to get very far in it; my clothes were sticking to my skin and my baby bump, the heat making me more thirsty than normal.

As you can probably tell, being more thirsty meant more toilet trips - and being pregnant, my bladder was already aching for relief without the addition of more cool drinks.

"Mmm... 'Mione, can I have some of your-"

"No, you cannot," I interrupted rather sharply before softening. "Sorry, but...my back is hurting and I _really_ don't feel like getting up to get _another_ drink yet."

Ron looked at me, somewhat confused. "I don't...why's your back hurting?" I sent him a glare and his eyes widened. "Oh, right, yeah. The baby. Right."

"Speaking of babies, where's Rosie?" I asked, looking around the living room for her. "I thought you were playing with her."

"Oh, she's outside."

I relaxed for a moment - then I realized what exactly he had said. "You left our daughter outside in this weather?" Ron raised an eyebrow. "Ron, she's a _toddler_! I mean, did you put sun cream on her?! Or a spell to protect her against the sun, at least?!"

"Hermione, she won't get burnt!" He told me, somewhat defensively, as he lounged on the sofa. "Besides, I'm going back out there in a minute...I just wanted to see what you're doing."

I gave a heavy sigh, stroking my bump. "Nothing, really. I can't read or do anything because it's so hot."

"Come outside then," Ron offered, looking at me and grinning. "It's not difficult, 'Mione. Just...I dunno, grab a drink and come outside. I mean, you can sit down on a chair, right?"

Since there was absolutely no point in staying indoors, bothered and bored, I agreed and followed him outside. As I sat down on a deck chair by the outside table, Ron wandered over to where Rose was playing on the grass in the garden. She grinned up at him, reaching her arms out for him; even from where I was sitting I could tell that she was hot. Although she was not sunburnt, thankfully, I noticed that she had been stripped down to nothing but her nappy and that she looked rather displeased by the bright sun.

_That makes two of us._

I watched as Ron sat down next to her, dressed in nothing but a pair of shorts and started playing with her. Unfortunately, Ron seemed to have forgotten to protect _himself_ from the Sun and his skin had gone bright pink - as much as I loved him, it didn't look very good with his red hair.

It must have been a half an hour or so before I heard someone apparate nearby. I sat up in my chair, peering into the backdoor and windows of the house to see what was going on. I could hear footsteps...I wondered who it was...

And suddenly a blur came running out, whooping loudly and sporting bright blue hair. Harry came outside then, looking rather exhausted and hot - he smiled when he saw me and came over to talk.

"You know," I said in a fake-stern voice. "It would be polite to ask for our permission before appearing in our house."

"Yeah, but what's life without a few surprises?" Harry chuckled, pulling up another chair and sitting next to me. "So, been up to much?"

"Not really," I answered, looking around the garden again; Teddy had joined Ron and Rose on the grass and was talking animatedly to them. "Is Ginny here? What about James and Al?"

Harry shook his head, taking off his glasses as they misted up slightly. "No. Well, she might floo over with them later, but that's only if they behave." He grinned rather slyly. "Don't tell her, but I might have given James a Chocolate Frog or two before breakfast this morning - he's been a bit hyper since."

I shook my head, although I was smiling to myself.

"And then, you can imagine how once James started playing up it got Al going... In the end, it got so bad I just said to Ginny that I'd bring Teddy over here while she sorts them out."

"So you left her to deal with them, even though it was _your_ fault?" I asked disapprovingly.

Harry lifted his hands up in defence. "What? I didn't _know_ James was going to go crazy!"

"Honestly," I muttered, turning away from him and leaning back in my chair.

There was a moment of silence between us before Harry cleared his throat and started to speak again. "So, how's it going with the baby and all? I mean, you look pretty..." He hesitated, clearly trying to come up with an appropriate word that wouldn't offend me. "The baby is growing."

"Yes, I'm about six months along," I said loftily, putting a hand on my stomach. "How about Ginny? I can't imagine she's much better."

Harry went pale. "Uhh...no, not really. We've, uh, had a few fights and stuff...something about how it's all my fault she's in pain and what have you. Still, it's not all bad," He added brightly, cheering up again. "We went to a Healer yesterday - it's a girl."

"Oh, congratulations!" I exclaimed, and I gave him a one-armed hug. He laughed and leaned into it, looking extremely pleased. "I know Ginny really wanted a girl..."

"Yeah, and we don't even need seven attempts," My friend joked, and I gave him an eye roll. "Anyway, how about yours? Am I getting a niece or a nephew off you this time?"

I smiled, looking down at my stomach proudly. "This one's a boy - and he's going to be a Quidditch player, I can tell."

"Blimey," Harry muttered. "A mini-Ron, hey? Well, let's just hope that the baby's not as hungry all of the time."

The two of us looked over to the grass; Teddy was laughing, helping Rose chase after Ron. Within seconds Teddy had pinned my husband to the ground, and I could hear him yelling encouragements to get Rose to help him.

"It's weird," Harry admitted quietly, replacing his glasses on his face. "Seeing you two have kids and all. I mean, don't get me wrong, those years before you got together were terrible...but you're my best mates, and it's weird to think of you having kids together."

"Well, it's rather strange seeing you and Ginny together," I retorted calmly, and he titled his head in confusion. "I mean, she had a rather large crush on you - somewhat of a "celebrity" crush, in fact - and now you're _married_ with children."

Harry grinned cheekily. "What can I say, Hermione? Dreams come true."

I gave him a smile, looking over at my husband and daughter with Teddy and silently agreeing with his statement.

**So, I'm sure that y'all who've been with me since the start know that three years ago today (13/01/2011) I posted Chapter 15 of this story: I was thirteen years old. Today I am sixteen years old :') Feeling kinda emotional.**

**Anyway, hope you're enjoying this story - please leave your thoughts!**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

By the time I had hit the seven month mark in the beginning of August, there was only one way to describe how I was feeling - honestly, as much as I loved feeling a baby grow inside of me...an actual _baby_...the abdominal cramps and back aches were _not_ something I rather enjoyed.

"I hate you so much," I muttered to my husband, wincing in discomfort as I felt the baby shift inside of me. Ron just gave a laugh, earning himself a glare. "Because of you, I can't sit and read for more than ten minutes without feeling so...so...so uncomfortable!"

"Hey, making a baby is a two-way street, love," He defended, still grinning to himself. "Besides, it can't be that bad this time around, right? I mean, you've already done it before, so..."

The look on my face clearly made him shut up.

"What are you reading anyway?" Ron hurriedly asked, changing the subject and trying to see the book in my lap. "It looks long."

I gave a small yawn, shutting the book and trying to stretch out on the sofa; my legs ended up in Ron's lap, not that he minded that too much mind you. "It's called _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ and it's by Victor Hugo." When he just looked at me, still confused, I remembered that he probably would have never heard of it, considering it was a muggle book. "It's about a deformed man, Ron."

"Oh." He frowned to himself. "Why would anyone want to read about that?"

"Because it's...it's a nice story," I tried to explain before remembering all of the events that occured. "Well, not exactly nice - a gypsy woman is hung at the end of it, and there is a lot of death involved... but it's a very interesting story. Anyway, Victor Hugo was one of the greatest writers of his time, and I've always liked reading his works."

Ron just eyed me and the book, clearly not believing me. "Okay...but it's no bloody wonder you're so sad all the time, reading stuff like that."

"Yes," I said slowly, tilting my head and giving him a dark look. "That's it... And the fact that you got me pregnant again, of course. Anyway," I continued as Ron opened his mouth to argue back. "We need to try and think of a name for the baby. We know it's a boy, so that narrows it down somewhat..."

"Yeah, a great deal," Ron snorted sarcastically, and I gave him a pointed glare. "What? There's got to be thousands of boys names out there, Hermione!"

I just resumed stroking my stomach, head held high. "Well, we need to choose one; I'm _not_ calling him 'Baby' all the time."

"Yeah," Ron agreed, nodding to himself. "Something tells me he's have the crap kicked out of him if we called him that." He sat back, staring at the bulge on my stomach for a moment with a look of concentration. "How about...a relative? You know, someone who's died or something. That's be nice."

I shrugged indifferently. "Yes, I suppose...but that's what Harry and Ginny are doing really... And besides, if we gave him someone else's name, it wouldn't bee _his; _it would be someone else, and he'd be plagued with it for all of his life."

"Hmm...I guess so...plus, most of the other kids are named after the dead people," My husband thought aloud. "I mean, there's Fred, Molly, James, Albus... Well, are there any names that you like?"

"I...well..." I was rather taken aback with that question, but pleased nonetheless. "I suppose I've always liked Thomas or something like that... Muggles don't use names like the ones wizards do, really."

Ron just made a face. "Right...well, I guess Thomas is _okay_...a little old-fashioned though..."

"And what names do you suggest?"

He squinted at my stomach for a few seconds, as if the answer would come to him like that; when it didn't, I saw his eyes dart to the book in my lap involuntarily, and he licked his lips. "How about...Hugo?"

"Oh, because Hugo isn't old-fashioned at all," I muttered - but it was already growing on me. "Hugo, as in Victor Hugo?"

"Well, I like it better than Viktor," Ron agreed unsurely; he had clearly thought I wasn't going to like it. "Besides, that's a name that no one else in the family has, so he can be his own person."

I gazed down at my bulge, hands held still on it. Ron hurriedly placed one of his large hands on the side, eagerly wanting to feel a kick or hiccup. "Hmm... Hugo. Hugo Weasley." It rolled easily off of my tongue, so I leaned down as much as I could to get closer to my bump. "How about it, then? How about 'Hugo'?" Ron and I were silent, waiting eagerly to see if our son reacted in any way.

After a few seconds, I felt a few hard kicks - judging by Ron's grin, he clearly felt it too, and he gave a laugh. "Right then. Hugo it is!"

* * *

I soon remembered that as uncomfortable as the days were, the nights were definitely worse.

Being heavily pregnant, I couldn't sleep on my stomach - the way I usually slept - and I had to make do with trying to press myself against Ron...not an easy feat, considering the impressive size of my stomach. This was made worse by the fact that our son would move around so much that he'd end up pressing against my bladder at various points in the night and I would have to run to get to the toilet.

Besides that, some nights my hormones would be running rampant; no matter how much I told myself that Ron and I needed the sleep, there was something inside of me that made me act on an impulse and start kissing Ron as fiercely as I could.

Not that he minded all that much - he seemed to enjoy the late night shags quite a bit.

Having a toddler while this was all happening, however, was possibly the worst part of it.

"Merlin, Hermione...you're so beautiful..." He groaned, pressing his lips everywhere he could get to.

"Even with the stomach?" I panted, nuzzling my nose into his neck and running my hands through his hair.

Ron pulled back and gave me an incredulous look. "You're kidding, right? It's just hot that _our_ kid is in there... Blimey, the things you do to a bloke, 'Mione."

And just when things were starting to get good, we heard the unmistakable sound of Rose calling out for one of us from her room - and then the creak of the bed and floorboards as she jumped out of her bed.

"Shit," Ron muttered, hurriedly pulling away and searching for his pyjama bottoms. "I'll get her - you stay here."

I raised an eyebrow at him, still panting rather heavily from our incomplete activities, and sat up to put on my own nightwear. "Oh, yes, that sounds like an excellent idea...you with a tent in your bottoms comforting our daughter."

He went bright red, slowly sitting back down. "Err...maybe not then."

Honestly, I loved having children - but...but, dammit, I still needed to shag my husband! Who would have thought that I, Hermione Granger (now Weasley), would have ever said - or even thought - such a thing?

But it was the truth, and what was the point in denying it really?

"I can't wait until she starts sleeping all through the night," Ron groaned as I flopped back onto the bed beside him in a rather unladylike fashion. "I love Rosie, but it's like she's doing it on purpose."

"What? Waking up while you're trying to give me a well-deserved shag?" I questioned, a flicker of a smile on my face. "Yes, I'm sure that she knows exactly what she's doing...hey, she might be an evil mastermind when she's older."

Ron rolled his eyes at me in the dark. "Ha Ha, very funny. Anyway..." He rolled on top of me, already kissing my collarbone. "We were going to shag, right?"

I was quite exhausted - but, Merlin, my hormones made me nod eagerly. Besides, once the baby came there wouldn't be much of a chance - even smaller than the chance we had now, what with a toddler already on our hands - so...it was for the greater good.

* * *

"And...yup, it's the stench of pregnant lady pheremones in the air!"

Both Ginny and I glared at George as he walked into the dining room of the Burrow, neither one of us too pleased with that comment. "Oh, shut up," Ginny snapped irritably. "It's my birthday - plus I'm pregnant, so you can't pick on me."

George just chuckled to himself and ruffled her hair. "Of course I can, Gin; I just need to make sure you don't hex my bollocks off is all."

From the corner of my eye, I saw my sister-in-law's hand twitch for her wand - and apparently George did too, because he laughed again nervously before changing the subject.

"You're both glowing this afternoon," He stated, waving his wand and conjuring a seat so that he could sit next to us. "Apparently you're having a boy, right Hermione?"

"How did you-"

"Ron told me," Geroge said seriously. "And Mum...and Dad...and just about _everyone_ who would listen - even the ones who wouldn't listen, come to thnk about it." He turned to Ginny. "And you are having...?"

Ginny smiled brightly. "A girl. Well, I hope I am: we've already started talking names, and it would be awkward if the baby changed their mind and became a boy before they can be born."

"We've already decided on a name," I murmured, stroking my stomach and looking down at it. "We're calling him Hugo, after one of my favorite authors."

"How did I know it would be an author or something?" George muttered, shaking his head. I sent a dark look at him but supposed he had a point there.

I looked around, waiting to see if anyone had come with him; I could hear Fred and Roxanne playing outside, but that was it. "I take it Angelina still doesn't want to come to dinner then?" I asked lightly.

My brother-in-law went pale. "Uhh...no."

"I thought you two were trying to move past this," Ginny commented, frowning to herself. "I mean, the last time she was here was _months_ ago, George, and that was when you told us all what had happened... Merlin, she even agreed to try and forgive you!"

"I know, and we _did_ talk it over," He stated incredously. "But...you know...she said she was trying to get over it and I thought we'd be alright again, but-"

"But she's still upset?" I guessed, voice dry. He nodded. "Well of course she is, you idiot: you cheated on her!"

Ginny gave a bitter laugh. "No, Hermione: _he didn't mean to_."

George sighed, and I suddenly felt rather guilty about the way we were treating him. "Look, I know that I screwed up...but I'm really trying to make things right again." He gave a small shrug. "Last month I went out and bought her flowers. I know that's not gonna make everything better, but I thought that it might help... A-And I spent an entire day with Fred and Roxanne last week!" He added hurriedly. "I told Ange that she deserved a break, seeing as it was her day off and all, so I took the kids out and let her relax the entire day."

"I suppose that's a start," I admitted, giving him a nod. "It's going to take a while, George, but I think if you keep it up then maybe things might go back to the way they used to be."

Hardly any of us had seen Angelina recently; ever since the beginning of the year she had refrained from coming to Sunday dinner or celebrations - the only exception so far had been on Roxanne's birthday, and that was only so that both she and the rest of our family could spend the day with her. Honestly, I tried not to worry too much about it: it would take a while for her to fully trust George again, we all knew that... but it was still rather strange to not have her sit with us every Sunday for dinner.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Ginny muttered, standing up. "The baby has decided to kick my bladder multiple times, so I'm retreating to the bathroom."

"Have fun, sis," George laughed, giving her a wink before turning back to me. "So Hugo, 'eh? Never had one of those in the family before."

I just smiled knowingly. "Exactly; he can be his own person now, without having to worry about living up to anyone-"

"Except his sister," My brother-in-law cut in, smirking to himself. "If she's got your brains, then God help him: he'll never survive if she's a swot."

"How do you know Hugo won't be intelligent?" I questioned icily, raising my eyebrows.

George shrugged. "Well, what with Ron's genes being involved, it's pretty likely that he won't be intelligent... Still, you may have managed it already, so good luck."

A second later, one of the legs of the chair he was sitting on snapped and he went tumbling to the floor. I laughed, rubbing my stomach: clearly, Hugo and I were both in disagreement with George's last statement.

* * *

"Uhm, Ron? What are you doing?"

Ron shushed me as I walked into the kitchen, eying him up suspiciously. He was sitting opposite Rose, who was giving him a wide-eyed stare: something was clearly going down between them.

"Okay, Rosie," He said quietly, keeping eye-contact with her. "If you say it, then I will read you a new story tonight."

Rose titled her head, smiling innocently. "Nope!"

Hmm...a new word. This was quite amusing.

Ron leaned in closer to her, giving her a sad look. "Rosie, love, it's just _one_ word I need you to say."

"Nope nope nope!" Rose chanted cheerfully, much to my husband's annoyance.

"Having fun?" I asked, on the verge of laughing from the exchange. "I must say, Ron, I've never seen her so opposed to learning a new word."

He rolled his eyes. "Ha-Ha, 'Mione, nice to know you've got my back. Right, Rosie..." He turned back to Rose, who was just looking around in a rather bored way. "Look, Mummy's in the room; why don't you say it to show her how clever you are?"

Clearly, she wasn't much in the mood for saying anything.

"Well, what are you trying to get her to say?" I questioned, rather intrigued.

"It's a surprise," My husband muttered. "I don't get it: she said it earlier, so why isn't she saying it now?" He sighed, although a small smile was flickering across his face as he stood up. "Guess she's stubborn, like you."

I rolled my eyes at him but accepted his greeting kiss nonetheless. "So, apart from trying to force her to say things, what have you been up to?"

"Oh, we just played with Pig a bit - of course, the bloody bird could only last so long until most of his feathers were ruffled and falling out so we just played and stuff. How was work?"

"Awful," I said tiredly, yawning to prove my point. "I swear, Ron, I won't leave for work on a Saturday morning anymore - and I'm going to start staying home in the next few weeks anyway, what with the baby and all-"

"Baby bwother!" Rose chirped, causing me to freeze.

Ron's mouth fell open as he looked around at our daughter. "Hey!" He exclaimed accusingly. "_Now_ you say it?!"

Rose laughed a delightful little baby laugh, amused by his reaction. "Baby bwother!" She pointed at me - or rather, my stomach - and continued to chant. "Baby bwother! Baby bwother!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Ron agreed excitedly, bending back down to look at her. "And what's baby brother's name?"

"Oo-go!"

I smiled, shaking my head at them both: I couldn't tell which I found the most impressive. Rose saying her brother's name or 'baby brother' - or the fact that Ron of all people had taught her to stay that.

**TA-DAA! Bello! :D (That's Minion-ish, I think... Bello means "hello" from what I can tell, so...)**

**And soon...oh, so soon: Hugo is arriving :) Excitement at its' finest, I'm sure you can all agree (that was sarcastic, by the way).**

**Anyway, please make sure to drop a review with your thoughts!**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

I was _fat_. Honestly, I looked like I had swallowed a beach ball - or, as George often put it, a Quaffle - for Merlin's sake!

Oh, and I had such a loving and supportive family to add to it.

"Mama big!" Rose would cry whenever she saw me, giggling cheekily to herself. I would glare at Ron then: it was clearly from him that she had inherited her mischievous nature from, considering I certainly wasn't as blunt.

Being about thirty-eight weeks pregnant by this point, it was quite safe to assume that Hugo could appear at any given moment; a lot earlier than that I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks, which terrified the life out of Ron enough to take a few months off work to help out with the baby in case they popped out soon. I was also starting to worry slightly; giving birth was, as I had learnt, not as easy as I had assumed. Although, it was bound to be less painful this time considering I'd done it once already.

I told myself that, although I hadn't the foggiest idea if it was true or not.

"Oh!...Oh!" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ron jolt up from the sofa, looking completely terrified. "I'm fine! J-Just one of those Braxton Hicks again."

He sat back, looking somewhat relieved and yet somewhat disappointed. "Right...yeah... 'course. Still, can't blame me, can you?" Rosie toddled up to him, grinning gaily at him. "Ah! There's my best girl!"

"And what am I then?" I questioned jokingly, rubbing at my round stomach.

"Err..." He went bright red. "Well, you're...uhm... You're my best _woman_, right?" Rose gurgled at him to regain his attention and started tugging at his shirt sleeve to follow her; he simply laughed. "What? _Another_ adventure?"

Our daughter shook her head and pointed upwards. "No - Owl!"

It was only then that we noticed that a handsome tawny owl had been waiting at the window to be let inside, ruffling his feathers and flapping his wings every so often. "Oh, right." Ron muttered, standing up to open the window. "Bloody birds...wait, is that a letter?"

Rose reached her arms out for the owl: he gave her a slightly puzzled look, clearly not used to toddlers demanding his attention, and set off again out of the window.

"What does the letter say?" I asked, watching Ron as he scanned the letter: his eyes widened and his shoulders slumped. "Ron, tell me what's going on!"

He gave a heavy sigh. "Bloody gits..." He held up the letter. "You won't believe what this is."

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. "Surely it's not a brief for a mission?!"

"Yeah, a pretty important - and it's scheduled for next week."

"Next week?!" I shrieked, glaring at him. "You can't go on a mission next week, Ronald Weasley! I'm having the baby any day now, and I am not being left with a toddler _and_ a new-born - I could give birth _next week_!"

"I know!" Ron defended hurriedly. "I mean, I told Harry that I couldn't, and he said that he'd try to arrange a different date to go... Obviously he couldn't." He shrugged uselessly. "What am I meant to do, 'Mione? It's been approved by the Minister."

This was not happening - it was _not_. "You are _not_ going," I seethed, narrowing my eyes. "_Kingsley_ is the Minister; just owl him and tell him what's going on! Tell him that you can't, he'll understand!"

"Alright, alright!" He muttered, quite alarmed by my reaction. "Fine. I'll send Pig over to the Ministry and say that I can't do it; I mean, it shouldn't be too difficult that the newbies can't do it, right?"

* * *

Apparently it was.

"How many wizards are going to attempt to repeat Voldemort's actions for Merlin's sake?" I snapped crossly, extremely angered. "He's gone - these people are delusional."

"Crazy," Ron agreed. "But dangerous to the wizarding population."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Surely you're not going, Ron."

Ron went bright red. "Look, it's not like I want to! But this guy... Hermione, he blew up _five_ muggle homes last week. Imagine if that had been, I dunno, your parents or something..." He stopped at the look I gave him. "There haven't been any deaths yet, just injuries, but if we put it off much longer: who knows?"

"But... Hugo is arriving soon," I stressed, gesturing to my pregnant belly. "What am I going to do if you're not here when I go into labour? And you are _not_ missing his birth, Ron: he is your son-"

"Yeah, I know," Ron interrupted. "It shouldn't take more than a couple of days though; besides, Kingsley said that he'd keep an eye on you... Like, if you _do_ go into labour than you have to send him an owl, and then he'll try and get the message to me."

I raised an eyebrow: I was pretty sure a troll would be able to see the flaw in that plan. "Ron, the point of being on a mission is that no one knows where you are: how is he meant to message you if he doesn't know where you are?"

To that he just grinned knowingly. "He'll send a Patronus. They're pretty great at finding people." The look on my face must have shown that I didn't feel all too reassured, so he continued. "Hermione, think about it: if I do this then we'll get more money. With a baby on the way, we _need_ that money."

I bit my lip. "But...But can't you just postpone it? Maybe until Hugo's a couple of months old?"

"This guy is bloody nuts," Ron repeated seriously. "The sooner we get rid of him the better." He put an arm around me. "Look, this will be easy: he's messy and he leaves a trail wherever he goes - plus, Harry's going too, and I don't see Ginny complaining."

"That's because she isn't due for another seven weeks," I said dryly. "This baby is due in _one and a half_, Ron. He could decide to arrive at any moment and you can't miss it."

Ron shook his head quickly. "I won't, I won't. Come on, 'Mione: would I really miss it?"

* * *

It was the only the next morning that Ron was dispatched for the mission with Harry; at least it was sooner than later, although I still couldn't help but worry about what would happen _if_ I did go into labour while he was gone.

Rose immediately noticed his absence; she looked around the kitchen with a confused and sad look. "Where Daddy?"

"He's working," I told her absent-mindedly, trying to spoon some food into her mouth. She refused to open her mouth, looking more worried than ever. "Come on, Rose: it's only a couple of days-"

"I want Daddy!" She announced stubbornly, squirming in her seat.

I sighed; I hadn't quite anticipated this beforehand, and now I was rather stuck. I could only think of one way to get her to eat now. "Tell you what, if you eat this then we'll go and play with James and Al."

Rose regarded me for a moment, pursing her lips. "Yes," She gave in finally, allowing me to feed her. Thankfully I wasn't having to work anymore, what with the baby being due soon, so there wasn't any rush to get her to finish her breakfast; this was quite handy, considering how she suddenly became aware of what the bump on my stomach actually meant.

"Baby bwother?" Rose asked, pointing to my belly. "Oo-go."

"That's right," I agreed tiredly, giving her a small nod. "Hugo, your baby brother."

She blinked, thinking hard for a moment. "When bwother be here?"

"Soon," I answered - she probably wouldn't have a clue as to how long two weeks really was. "You know, when he gets bigger you'll be able to play with him."

Rose folded her arms protectively across her chest. "Not toys - my toys." She paused. "Daddy mine too - you mine too. Bwother not having you. Mine."

My, was she protective for such a small girl. I laughed and tweaked her nose affectionately. "Hugo can have me and Daddy too - you can both share us, you know: and I think he'll want some toys of his own, so you can keep yours."

Rose gave a nod of approval. "Good. My toys, Mummy."

"Yes, sweetie," I muttered, rolling my eyes good-naturedly. "They're your toys."

When we arrived at Grimmauld Place to visit Ginny, it became obvious that not only James and Albus were wreaking havoc - Teddy had joined in too. Andromeda greeted me, looking somewhat sheepish.

"I thought he'd like to play with James and Al," She explained, looking quite flustered. "I told him to behave, but...well, boys will be boys I suppose." There was a smashing noise and Rose giggled as she ran off to join in, running past Ginny as she did so. "I'm so sorry, Ginny: I didn't realize that Ted would be so...so..."

"It's fine," Ginny muttered, looking quite drawn and exhausted. "I can handle three little boys, you know: I grew up with six brothers, and I'm more than capable of dealing with those three."

Andromeda shook her head firmly. "No, it's not fair: you're expecting a baby, for Merlin's sake, and you shouldn't be stressed out. And Hermione," She paused, looking over my appearance. "Well, you look as if you're going to pop very soon, dear, and I'm sure you've got a lot on your mind already."

"Actually, coming over here is less stressful," I laughed, waving a hand to dismiss the previous statement. "Rose is quite a handful without Ron around; it was such a job getting her to eat breakfast this morning, and I just hope that he'll be back soon."

Ginny snorted. "Good luck with bedtime; I can already tell you that James won't go to sleep because Harry won't be there to tell him about 'the stag that lived and killed a snake'."

"That's how he tells it?" I asked, and she nodded. "Well, that's rather...he's...uhm..."

"Not very inventive, is he?" My sister-in-law smirked at me, raising an eyebrow. "What does Ron tell Rose then?"

I shrugged, not really very sure myself: apart from a few odd occasions I had never really heard their interactions at bedtime. "I think he just reads to her out of storybooks - men honestly aren't very creative sometimes."

The mess that the children had left spanned most of the corridors and rooms in the house; it was lucky that we could just wave our wands and clean up, otherwise it would have taken hours to do just one area. Finally we ended up in what I presumed to be Teddy's room; they were all running around, gurgling and yelling random words at each other. It wasn't until Teddy spoke that we realized exactly what they were playing.

"Stupefy!" Teddy yelled, laughing to himself as he pointed a finger at James.

James just giggled excitedly. "Expelli!"

Rose straightened up and pointed at Albus proudly. "Wing'ar-um 'evi'sa!"

_That's my girl,_ I thought, pleased that most of it had been correct: the 'gar' (or rather, 'ar') not too long, of course.

"Oh, Merlin," Ginny muttered, quickly intervening. "Okay, that's enough pretend-magic for now - let's not destroy the house!"

Teddy frowned at her. "But we're not actually doing magic, Aunt Ginny - we're playing." He pointed at James, Rose and Albus. "They're students at Hogwarts because they're little, and I'm the teacher." He puffed his chest out. "I'm the best, because my parents were the best."

"Hey!" James protested, glaring at Teddy. "'m not little! I'm older than Al and Rose!"

In the end, the only way we could appease all five of them was by sitting them downstairs and using our wands to conjure magic sparks; they all gave pleased noises at them (even Teddy, who was nine) and clapped afterwards. By the time Rose and I managed to leave Al and Rose had fallen asleep while James and Teddy settled down to watch a movie of some kind on television.

I honestly couldn't wait for Ron to be finished on this damn mission.

* * *

I woke up at about three the next morning to Rose tapping me urgently and squirming on the spot.

"Mummy? Mummy?" She asked pleadingly. "Sleep with you?"

I didn't even open my eyes, patting the spot on the bed next to me. Rose immediately crawled in and underneath the covers, pressing herself against me; I wrapped my arms around her, glad that I had someone to cuddle with while Ron was gone. Granted it was somewhat of a squeeze, considering that I was heavily pregnant and my stomach was in the way, but it wasn't long until Rose was snoring softly in her sleep.

I, however, found that my stomach was starting to cramp quite a lot; I thought to myself that it was just Hugo shifting around and trying to get comfortable. No matter how much time passed though, I found that my stomach cramps just got worse...in fact, I was quite uncomfortable, more so than I had been so far.

And then I felt the tell-tale trickle between my legs that could only mean one thing.

Hugo was on his way.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

This was not happening...for Merlin's sake, this was not happening!

I clutched at my stomach, giving a wince and looked around to try and figure out what I should do; Rose was still asleep, and I was definitely not going to attempt to wake her up again. I clambered out of bed and over to the window - Pig was outside, asleep with his head under one of his tiny wings - and found a scrap of paper; since I had no idea where Ron was, I was going to have to owl Kingsley first.

_Minister,_

_This is Hermione Weasley: it's happening. Tell Ron soon, I need him._

_Hermione_

I opened the window, causing Pig to startle awake and peer at me; once he saw the letter he hooted excitedly. "Shh!" I muttered, attaching the parchment to his leg. "You'll wake Rose up... Take this to Kingsley."

Pig gave a hoot and took off immediately, flying away so quickly that he had disappeared completely within three seconds.

_Okay, okay... Ginny. She'll help._

Unfortunately, with Pig gone, I didn't have an owl to deliver the message - I picked up my wand from the bedside drawer and hurriedly muttered, "Expecto Patronum!" under my breath. A small silver light appeared but faded quickly.

_Happy thoughts...happy thought..._ I closed my eyes and thought of Ron, of what it would be like once the baby had arrived: the joy and happiness. "Expecto Patronum!"

This time my otter patronus appeared, fully-formed and silver, waiting for my instructions; I hurriedly relayed a message to send with it to Ginny and watched it scamper away. I knew that Ginny would tell Molly and Arthur immediately, so now I just had to get myself to St. Mungo's before I had the baby on the bedroom floor.

There was nothing else I could do. I carefully shook Rose awake, ignoring the contractions I was feeling, and smoothed back her hair from her face. "Come on, Rose. We've got to go."

She looked up at me blearily, not too pleased at being woken so soon. "Go?"

"To see baby brother," I told her, nodding and giving her a small smile. "Come on, Daddy will be there too."

Rose brightened up and nodded, pushing herself into a sitting position and beaming. "Daddy be there?!"

"Yes, of course," I gritted out, holding out my hand for her to take. "To do that we need to get to the hospital... You'll see Grandpa and Grandma there too."

Flooing with toddlers was not exactly the safest idea, but I couldn't apparate there: apparation could have hurt Hugo, and I wouldn't have been able to concentrate properly, what with the contractions, so there was a chance of splinching either myself or Rose.

Being early morning, there were very few people waiting at St. Mungo's for a Healer; it was only a minute later that I was hurriedly explaining to a Healer that I was in labour and that I had no idea what to do with Rose yet.

"Her grandparents should be here soon," I muttered as an older woman lead me down a corridor. "The Weasleys; it should be too long..."

"Of course," The Healer - Healer Mulroney - agreed patiently. "And what about the father of the baby? Where is here?"

I bit my lip. "I don't know; I mean, he's on an Auror mission," I added hurriedly at the look I received. "I've contacted the Ministry to try and track him down."

I was placed in a room a few minutes later, left to change out of my pyjamas and into a gown, while we waited for a family member to arrive. Rose was left to play on the floor with some toys that a Healer had brought in to keep her entertained for the time being; from across the room I could hear her chanting about her 'baby bwother. Oo-go' arriving.

"Mrs Weasley?" Someone asked timidly, and I looked up to see a different Healer than before. "There are several people in the waiting room requesting to see you; a bunch of red-haired folk..."

"Oh, yes," I said, nodding my head and getting up to pick up Rose. "Send them in for a minute, please."

The Healer nodded and set off; about half a minute later Molly and Ginny walked in. Even though Ron wasn't here yet, I was still glad to see some of the family too and sent them a small smile.

"Are you in a lot of pain, Hermione?" Molly asked briskly, taking Rose off of me and pressing a kiss against her forehead. "Have you messaged Ron? Oh, no, tell me that the baby isn't arriving _too_ soon, because he'll be devastated if he misses it-"

"No," I interrupted, shaking my head. "We've still got a long while to go yet - and, yes, I've messaged Kingsley so that he can try and find Ron before it's too late." I sat back on the bed and sighed. "I _told_ him not to go on that mission, for goodness sake, but _no_..."

Ginny gave a small snort. "I'm sure he's kicking himself, Hermione - and now you can tell him that you told him so."

The thought didn't bring much comfort - because, honestly, I was torn between wanting him to help and wanting to kill him.

* * *

Half an hour later, Ron still hadn't made an appearance - I was starting to get quite worried: what if Kingsley couldn't find him? What if something bad had happened to him and Harry? Honestly, those two put themselves in too much danger all the time.

Ginny would occasionally waddle in and out of the room, staying for five minutes until her back started to ache and she had to sit down.

"No sign of him?" I asked hopefully the third time she entered the room.

Ginny shook her head. "Not yet. When he does show up, though, I'm going to hex his balls off."

I was so exhausted that I didn't even bother commenting on that threat.

Finally, at about five in the morning, there was some news: a Healer rushed in and gave me a letter. "This arrived for you from the Ministry, Mrs Weasley."

"Thank You," I muttered quickly, not even waiting until she left to rip open the letter; the writing was quite neat, and I immediately knew who it would be.

_Hermione,_

_I am currently waiting for my message to reach your husband and Harry Potter; I have told them to abandon the mission and apparate to St. Mungo's (presuming that is where you are) as soon as possible._

_Congratulations and Good Luck._

_Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minster of Magic._

"They haven't even found him yet?" I asked myself under my breath, quite worried by this news; the way this was going, Ron wasn't going to be here to see Hugo being born. I sighed and set the letter down on the table next to the hospital bed I was in: the contractions were getting longer and more intense, and I knew deep down that it would only be another hour or so until I had to start pushing.

"The whole family's outside," Ginny told me ten minutes later when she wandered in again, hands over her stomach. "It's funny - everyone but _Ron_ himself is here for this."

"That's hardly funny," I snapped icily, not even looking up.

Ginny's smile faded and she gave me a hard look. "_Fine_ then. Sorry for trying to lighten the mood."

"Sorry," I gritted out heavily, shaking my head apologetically. "I just... I need him to be here. I mean, I know what to do but...but he can't miss this! This is our son, for Merlin's sake... And I _told_ him not to go on that damn mission!"

My sister-in-law just gave me a sympathetic look. "He'll be here soon, Hermione - do you really think Harry's going to let him miss it?" She gave an amused laugh. "And imagine what Mum would say if he missed it; she's still rather skilled at sending Howlers, you know."

The thought of Molly sending him a Howler did, admittedly, cheer me up.

Ginny and I talked for another twenty minutes, and I was extremely glad that she was there; it really helped me distract myself, and she even managed to get a few laughs out of me. She was in the middle of telling me a rather dirty wand joke when the door to the room slammed open and cut her off.

And there was Ron, covered from head-to-toe in dirt and looking extremely untidy.

"Bloody Hell!" He exclaimed, rushing forwards to envelope me in a hug. "I only just got the owl, I swear-"

"It's fine," I managed, giving him a small squeeze. Ginny just sent me a look before leaving the room, clearly wanting to give us a moment to catch up. "Nothing too interesting has happened yet... Although, I would like to remind you that I _did_ tell you that Hugo was going to arrive very soon."

Ron cowered slightly at my glare. "Yeah, but...I'm here now, right? I didn't miss it!"

"Hmm," I conceded, raising an eyebrow at him. "I suppose that's true. How was the mission going anyway?"

"A bloody waste of time," Ron muttered, looking quite annoyed. "We were camped out in a ditch for twenty four hours waiting for the guy to leave his...well, this place he was using to hide... We were about to break in when Kingsley's patronus arrived." He eyed the bathroom to the left of the room for a second before looking back at me. "Uhh...maybe I should...you know..."

I nodded in approval. "Yes, go and clean yourself up; I'm sure the healers won't let you stay in here with all of that dirt on you."

* * *

It seemed that Ron had arrived just in time; half an hour later I had not only gone into labour but also delivered baby Hugo safely.

"Congratulations," One of the Healers who had been assisting us said, smiling at us radiantly. "A very handsome and healthy little boy."

I lifted my arms up to hold him and immediately smiled when he was placed into them; he really was adorable, with his freckles dotted across his face already and a peaceful look on his face while he got to sleep.

"Blimey," Ron muttered, looking quite awestruck. "He's...He's got a full head of hair already."

"Yes," I agreed, chuckling to myself. "A full head of red hair, just like his big sister." I brushed some of the hair away from Hugo's face and gave a content sigh. "He's so amazing, Ron - he looks like you."

Ron gave a small snort, not too loud in case it woke our son up. "You said that about Rosie, love - besides, I don't want him to look completely like me." He looked between Hugo and me, nodding slowly to himself. "Yeah. Maybe he'll get your eyes or something."

Even though I was utterly exhausted - and Ron probably was too, considering the fact he'd been on a mission for the past two days - I couldn't have been more content than I was then, sitting on that bed with Hugo in my arms.

**A bit of cheese to cheer the Romione fandom up :D**

**No, but honestly, here's my two cents: she never said she regretted Ron/Hermione OR that she shipped Harry/Hermione - she's saying that Romione got together because SHE wanted them to, not to prove a literary point (the whole 'sidekick-gets-the-girl-and-not-hero-for-once' thing).**

**LONG STORY SHORT: Rowling is merely saying that she wasn't trying to make a literary stand and possibly that it's not what would occur in real life. Either that, or this story is completely false and made up by the newspapers. ****The news is over-dramatizing this so much it's ridiculous.**

**Well...that's what I believe anyway. Of course, being a Romione shipper, I'm slightly biased, so...yeah. That's just my opinion: based on the fact that JK Rowling is one of the biggest Ron/Hermione shippers out there as far as I'm concerned.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! I'll try to update soon!**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

After a few days we were allowed to bring Hugo home from St. Mungo's - a relief, really, considering how much I just wanted to go home and relax after having to have another baby.

Rose had been staying with Harry and Ginny over the few days before we were released - and, apparently, she hadn't been all too fond on having to miss out on bedtime routines and games with us. The moment she saw us she had grinned and raced towards us, a happy grin on her face as she chanted our names.

At first it seemed as though everything was going to be perfectly fine - but then the problem arose out of seemingly nowhere.

Rose frowned down at Hugo in quite an unhappy manner. "Don' wike."

"I thought you were happy to have a new baby brother?" I asked, quite confused.

Rose just frowned even more, looking upset. "He small. Can' pway." She looked between Ron and I worriedly. "Mine - Mummy and Daddy mine."

While I didn't see it at first, Ron picked up on it immediately; he sat her in his lap and gave her a small cuddle as he comforted her. "Hey, there's no need to be like that, Rosie: we still love you. Hugo won't change that."

She shook her head stubbornly. "Not his."

"We're your Mummy and Daddy _and_ Hugo's," Ron corrected, giving her hair a ruffle. "Aren't you glad to have a little brother? When he gets older you can teach him how to play with you; cool, huh?"

Rose just sent Hugo a hard look. "Hmm. Still don' wike."

"I see," Ron said seriously. "Well...how about we leave Mummy and Hugo alone for a little bit, let them rest, and we go to the park - just you and me?"

While Rose had brightened up considerably at this, she still had a rather unpleased look on her face for the rest of the evening.

Later that night, I asked Ron how he had known that that was what the matter had been about; he shrugged. "I have a little sister: I didn't always like Ginny, you know, especially not when she first arrived."

"But Rose actually seemed excited when we first told her," I said incredulously. "She's been saying about it for weeks and weeks!"

Ron smiled knowingly. "Yeah, well, I guess it's different when the baby actually arrives, you know? It actually being in front of her and all." He brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. "It'll blow over soon, Hermione: she's just got to get used to it."

"I know," I admitted. "And I know that it's common for older children to feel quite left out when a new one is born, but I just don't want her to think that we're going to ignore her from now on because of Hugo... And it's not like we have as much time anymore-"

"Hey, no stressing," He said sternly. "We need to sleep - something tells me the little bludger's gonna wake up some point soon."

As concerned as I was, I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Ron. "'_Little bludger_'?" I repeated incredulously.

Ron went bright red. "Yeah, well...it's a nickname, alright? I mean, Rose is Rosie and Hugo is..."

"Your _little bludger_," I finished, unable to stop smirking at him as he went even redder. "I see."

Half of me, while amused, _did_ find it rather cute that he'd nicknamed our son already - even if it wasn't a common nickname.

That amusement quickly faded, however, once the night time calls in the form of a baby's cries started again.

* * *

"Blimey, Hermione: you look worse than yesterday."

I sent Ron a fierce glare. "You would too if you had to get up every two hours because a baby is crying."

Ron blinked. "Hang on: I never heard him crying or anything-"

"Lucky you then," I said briskly, resuming to feed Hugo his bottle of milk. "However, _our_ son woke _me_ up and _I _was the one who had to look after him every time that happened."

"Alright, fine," Ron gave in. "I'll try to wake up next time, I swear." He sent me a grin as he sat down next to me and pressed a kiss to the side of my head affectionately before picking up the newspaper. "So, I bet that I'll open this and see an announcement about Hugo being born."

I shook my head in disbelief. "I'm just waiting until the owls from reporters start turning up, asking explicit details about him and our lives. How long did it take when we had Rose?"

My husband paused as he counted the number of days in his head silently. "It was the second morning after we came back. Nosey sods. You'd think they have better stuff to report about than babies."

"Just imagine what it will be like when Harry and Ginny's baby arrives," I told him, and I instinctively hugged Hugo closer to me. "Another few weeks of their pictures in the paper...of rumours and gossip..."

Ron snorted, opening the newspaper - seconds later, he chuckled harshly to himself. "Yep, second page announcement. Here, listen... '_We here at the Prophet would like to congratulate Ronald (Auror) and Hermione Weasley (Ministry Worker) on the newest addition to their family - a baby boy born 5th October_'..."

"Well, that took long," I muttered, shaking my head. "Although, I have to ask...who told them that it was a boy?"

He shrugged. "Probably someone at St. Mungo's or something...I dunno. Newspapers have dodgy ways of finding stuff out, don't they?"

Hugo gave an unhappy gurgle as he realized my attention was distracted; he obviously still wanted food. I tutted affectionately, shaking my head but smiling at him. "Honestly...that's going to be the third bottle in ten hours. Here," I said to Ron, placing Hugo into his arms. "Hold him for a moment while I make another bottle for him."

Ron shrugged and immediately started patting our son on the back as he gave snuffles of complaint at being moved. "Can't believe babies are so small, you know. I mean, you look at how big a woman gets and then..." He trailed off at the small glare I sent at him. "Well..._most_ women get big...but I guess you weren't too bad."

"Thanks, Ron," I muttered dryly, using my wand to quickly clean the used bottle - much easier than getting a clean one - and summoned the milk powder from across the kitchen. "I'm _so_ pleased to know that my being pregnant wasn't 'too bad' in terms of my size. Oh, and be careful: he's just eaten, so he might vomit."

Ron wrinkled his nose up in disgust, suddenly lowering Hugo away from his shoulder. "That's disgusting, Hermione!"

"It's the truth," I smirked at him. "I just thought I'd warn you in case of-"

I was cut off by our son making retching noises; seconds later, Ron was covered in white vomit.

"Honestly," I told him, putting on a sweet tone of voice. "Aren't babies just the cutest?"

Ron could only look down between his clothes and our son in horror.

* * *

Raising one child was very difficult but manageable as they grew older - two children, however, was nothing more than time-consuming and exhausting. Between Rose wanting to desperately bond with us (something that had increased since the arrival of Hugo, I noticed) and Hugo needing constant looking after, it was no surprise that Ron and I had completely forgotten about all other events that were to occur.

It wasn't until Midday on the day of Halloween when we received an owl; we had been eating lunch (attempting to feed our children too, but failing somewhat in Hugo's case) when a tawny owl had landed outside of the kitchen window and tapped its beak against the glass to be let in.

"Huh. Looks like Harry and Ginny's," Ron mused, putting down the forkful of food he had been attempting to feed Rose and standing up to open the window. "Can't imagine why they'd owl us though..."

However, I was a bit quicker to realize. "Ron...you don't think that their baby is arriving?" I asked tentatively, hurriedly taking the letter off the owl's leg and opening it. "I mean, Ginny _is_ due around now; I'd forgotten..."

"So?" Ron asked, picking up Hugo when he started to fuss at not being paid attention to. "What's going on?"

I nodded to myself. "Yes, it's their baby - Ginny's gone into labour and Harry's taking her to St. Mungo's because the contractions aren't too far apart now." I sighed to myself. "Now what? It's not like we can just go and see them."

Rose looked between Ron and I, frowning to herself as the cogs in her brain worked. "Baby? Un'le 'Arry?"

"What're they doing about James and Al?" Ron asked, shifting Hugo in his arms. "Going to Mum's, I suppose...actually, Mum's gonna want to be there, so it'll probably be Andromeda's."

"I guess we'll just have to see them tomorrow," I said, putting the letter down on the table. "Something tells me that St. Mungo's won't like us turning up with two small children who might start crying." I looked at Ron pointedly. "Here, you hand Hugo to me; could you go upstairs and grab Pig for me?"

Ron blinked, passing our son to me. "Uhh...why?"

"I want to bake a cake," I muttered loftily. "I want to send an owl, Ron! If we can't be there, then I'm sure that your mother will send us letters to keep us updated - I mean, she'll probably be close to 'the action' as it were." I must have gone a bit pink as I remembered how personally involved she'd been the times I'd given birth. I was snapped out of my thoughts, though, by Hugo starting to fuss again. "Sorry, Hu; you're still hungry then?"

As Ron retreated upstairs to get Pig, Rose sent her brother a rather sour look. "Don' wike him still."

I shook my head at her. "Of course you do, sweetie: he's your brother."

"Didn' wan' a bwother," She stated, giving me a hurt look. "He...He too small."

"Yes," I admitted patiently. "Of course he is: but once he gets older, he'll be a big boy and you'll be able to play with him - like you do with James and Teddy."

Rose gave a sigh but leaned in closer to look at Hugo. "Fine," She gave in grudgingly. "He okay...but too small now."

It really did amaze me how a child's mind worked sometimes - and this was after having numerous nieces and nephews.

* * *

It wasn't until the evening when we received that final owl letter; luckily, any trick'r'treaters who lived nearby had passed our street long ago and so were not around to see Pig as he crashed through the open kitchen window.

_Lucky that Rose and Hugo went to bed,_ I thought before taking the letter from Pig.

Ron looked up from the newspaper he'd been reading. "What? Is it over?"

_Ron and Hermione,_

_Ginny's done it: a baby girl, born about eight-thirty this evening. She's going to look like Ginny, I know it - she even has the infamous Weasley red hair. We've decided to name her Lily Luna: you know, after my mum and then Luna. _

_We'll send a picture as soon as we can - try to come and see us soon though, if you can. It'd mean a lot to us._

_Harry_

I smiled, nodding as I finished reading the letter and passed it to him. "Looks like Ginny got that girl she wanted."

"Yeah, well, after what Mum went through, can you blame her for being slightly worried?" Ron snorted. "If this one had been another boy then that would have been it; she'd have been cursed like Mum was."

"I was thinking more along the lines of her already raising _three_ boys as it is," I said, half-amused by what Ron had said. "Teddy's no picnic, as you know, and it's not like James and Albus are too quiet either - they're like Harry. They like looking for trouble."

"I just can't imagine Harry with...a baby _girl_," Ron muttered, as if such a thing were impossible. "I mean, the git's a good dad and all, but him having a daughter? It's... weird."

I laughed, and he gave me an odd look. "Oh, don't give me that!" I smirked, picking Pig up and giving his feathers an affectionate ruffle. "And just so you know, Harry said exactly the same thing about you when Rose was born." When he just continued to look surprised, I elaborated. "Apparently, seeing a someone like you with a daughter was odd to him."

"A guy like me?"

"The Auror type," I clarified, shaking my head to myself. "The 'strong, manly-man' type I suppose. Personally, I don't see it."

The look on Ron's face was enough to make me burst out laughing again.

**Don't kill me...please?! Writer's Block is a very evil enemy, and this was all I could squeeze out. So please don't flame me - it'll be better soon, I promise! (well, you can choose to believe me or not, but I swear!)**

**Thanks for your reviews and follows, guys - it means a lot!**


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